It's Her Party, and I'm In Big Trouble Again
by Aiselne Phoenix Nocturnus
Summary: Ash has bigger and better plans for Misty's new birthday party in Pallet Town! But when the party gets big instead of better, Misty is the least of Ash's worries once Delia gets home. Pokeshippy sequel to "It's Her Party, and She'll Cry If I Mess It Up." Complete.
1. She's Back Like a Lion!

**_It's Her Party, and I'm In Big Trouble Again_**

**SUMMARY**: Ash has bigger and better plans for Misty's new birthday party in Pallet Town! But when the party gets big instead of better, Misty may be the least of Ash's concerns once Delia gets home. Sequel to "It's Her Party, and She'll Cry If I Mess It Up."

**GENRE**: General/Humor  
><strong>RATED<strong>: PG / K+  
><strong>NOTABLE CONTENT<strong>: Language, Crude/Suggestive Humor, and Brief Alcohol References  
><strong>SHIP<strong>: Pokeshipping (Ash/Misty), and a few other/random ship-hints interspersed

**COPYRIGHT NOTE**: I don't own _Pokemon / Pocket Monsters_, or the song "It's My Party (and I'll Cry If I Want To)," performed by Lesley Gore  
><strong>STORY TAKES PLACE IN<strong>: Season 8 – Advanced Battle (one year after "It's Her Party, and She'll Cry If I Mess It Up")  
><strong><br>POV NOTE**: This story is dominantly in Ash's first-person narrative, with a few minor side-scenes in third-person perspective

**COMMENTS**: I couldn't resist. The original "It's Her Party…" story happens to be special to me, and I enjoyed writing the comical little fic. So here we are, "It's Her Party" is back, and it's got all the Ash antics from before, but now in sweet home Pallet! More or less, Ch.1 is a prologue/recap to tie this sequel with its predecessor (in the event people's memories are hazy). But it should be a nice intro to what's in store for later chapters, too. Enjoy!

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><p><strong><em>This story is the sequel to my fanfic, "It's Her Party, and She'll Cry If I Mess It Up."<br>Knowledge of that prequel is recommended to fully appreciate this fanfic._**

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><p><strong>It's Her Party, and I'm In Big Trouble Again<strong>

_Aiselne Phoenix_

**_March 17_**

**W**ell, you know what they say: "March comes like a lion and leaves like a lamb." Heheh, I got the saying right this time, too, didn't I? Last year, I mistook "lamb" for "ham," which doesn't make a whole lotta' sense, does it? Then again, I still don't quite understand what lions and lambs have to do with March in the first place, but never mind that. This year, now I know what I'm talking about! Ha! See what a year's worth of growth and maturing can do to a boy? I _am_ grown up, and I'll bet Misty would be proud.

Nah…scratch that. Misty would sooner mallet me in the ground for going on another ego trip. I better quit while I'm ahead, huh?

Okay, moving on. Well, a lot has happened since Misty's birthday last year. Most has been for the best, too, or at least I think so. I competed in the Hoenn League, and did pretty well (if I do say so myself). I didn't win the competition, but I went further in that league than I did in both Indigo and Johto, so that's progress. I can't say I'm smarting from defeat. Mark my words: one of these days I'll leave a Pokemon League competition with the winner's trophy. Heck, I already did in the Orange League! I'm not letting this defeat keep me down, no sir-ree! You are talking to Ash Ketchum here, and I'm not kidding when I say I'll become a Pokemon Master someday. I know it! And who knows? The Kanto Battle Frontier is just around the corner. Maybe this'll be my lucky break! I can't wait!

Of course, first things first. Before embarking on my next journey, I think I deserve I few relaxing days off at home. It's been so long since I last saw Mom, Professor Oak, and Tracey, not to mention the rest of my Pokemon living at the professor's ranch. Brock already planned to visit his family in Pewter City once we set out for the Battle Frontier, so he had no problem taking a quick detour to Pallet Town. Plus, I've always gotten the impression that Brock likes spending time with my mom. May and Max were happy to visit, too, especially since we know Max jumps at any chance to spend time with his idol Professor Oak. So it's been a refreshing couple of days, our own mini-vacation before heading out again.

Though…I can't say I've been lounging around my house and doing nothing all week. Contrary to popular belief, I've actually been pretty busy during this vacation of mine. After all, now that the Hoenn League ended, and before I start the Battle Frontier, there's one other "matter" I've gotta' handle above anything else.

After all, today is March 17th, again, and we all know what that means:

Misty's birthday is in three days!

Like I said, a lot has happened since last year. My Pokemon journey is going well, and above all, Misty and I have gotten closer. No, not "boyfriend/girlfriend" close, but closer than friends. Uh…I mean; we're more than friends now. No, wait, that still doesn't sound right. Um…uh…well, whatever stage is between "friend" and "boyfriend," that's where I am right now with Misty. I think. Wait, _are _we a "couple" now? I don't really know. Misty never explained it very well, and Brock's never helpful when it comes to these things. He and May always assume "instant boyfriend," but I don't think Misty and I are quite there yet…are we? Gack! I don't know! Dammit, why's this stuff so complicated? Pokemon are WAY easier to figure out than girls! But Misty doesn't call me her boyfriend, so I guess I can't call myself a full-fledged boyfriend, can I? Um, maybe, "semi-boyfriend"? Yeah…I'm Misty's semi-boyfriend. Let's go with that. Otherwise, I'm gonna' get a headache.

Actually, the real reason I'm not overly sure about this boyfriend/girlfriend thing is because Misty and I haven't seen each other in a while. Distance kinda' makes a "relationship" difficult, doesn't it? Though, Brock said there's a saying: "absence makes the heart grow fondue." Yeah, I like fondue, but don't ask me how the hell a heart cooks a…oh "_fonder_"! "Absence makes the heart grow _fonder_"! Got it. Yeah, yeah…I suck at proverbs. Blame Professor Oak. Whenever he babysat Gary and me, he was always reciting haikus, and after a while the sayings started blending together. I love the professor like a father, and Professor Oak is an amazing researcher, but his poetry leaves something to be desired. But regardless of poems and proverbs, I suppose absence does make the heart grow fonder. I know I've missed Misty.

March 20th of last year…heh, I still remember it, and something's telling me I'll remember that day for quite a while. After two years of being separated from Misty, my friends and I threw a birthday party for her at May and Max' house in Petalburg City. And trust me; on that day, anything that could go wrong DID go wrong. I don't exactly have a good track record when it comes to birthday parties. Some mishap always happens, as if I'm a birthday Jynx. But in the end, Misty and I became closer thanks to the Petalburg party, and that's what mattered.

Unfortunately, what happened at the party never changed the fact that Misty was still the Cerulean Gym Leader. Even though the party ended happily, Misty had to return home the day after.

It's not as though Misty and I never separated before. Heck, we parted ways just before I set out to Hoenn. But last March 21st, when Misty said her farewells on May and Max' doorstep…I didn't want her to go. No, I didn't make a scene, but I do remember Misty teasing, "Ash, lemmie go so I can breathe already!" Though come to think of it, I know _I _was the one who had to break the goodbye hug, not Misty. Despite her words, she didn't seem in a hurry to let go, either. Heh, I guess neither of us wanted to say goodbye after that eventful birthday party. Though…could you blame us?

Fortunately, Misty and I kept in touch via videophone and letters. We now contact each other every week, more often than we did in the past. It's great!

Naturally, however, I got an earful from Mom when she found out how I call Misty more than I call my "poor dear mother." Sure, Mom has nothing against Misty. I, on the other hand, was the person Mom had the bone to pick with:

"_I worry about you every night, praying my one and only little boy will come home safely. Is it so much of a mother to ask for a phone call once in a while, Ash Ketchum?"_

Man, moms know how to lay on guilt-trips, and they lay it on _extra thick_, too. How the hell can I possibly say no when Mom starts going on (and on) about how much she misses me? Even if I somehow survive the maternal "I miss yous," Mom's Plan B is her secret weapon: tissues! Tissues and sniffles:

"_Oh Ash…" _Sniff_. "…I worry about you…" _Sniff_. "…S-so much!" _Sniff, sniff_. "M-my sweet…sweet l-little boy…" _Sniff, sniff, sniff…

…Dammit, no boy has a defense against maternal waterworks! Max says I'm soft. I am _not _soft! I'd like to see how tough Max might act if Caroline started sniffling up a storm over how much she missed her son, too! Urgh…so, yeah, I've gotta' start calling Mom more often. Don't worry. Mom got a'hold of my Battle Frontier to-do list, and she wrote right at the top, in big red letters: "CALL MOMMY!" Did she _really_ have to use "mommy," though? Brock, May, and (especially) Max are still teasing me about it.

Well, at least Misty is more manageable when it comes to phone calls. Life seems to have been treating her pretty well, too. Her Gym Leader career is excelling as much as my training. I'm really amazed by the progress she's made with Gyarados, considering Misty used to fear the dragon almost as much as she feared Bug Pokemon.

Even better, Misty's relationship with her sisters has grown by leaps and bounds. The siblings still argue, but you can tell that ever since they reunited that the girls have gotten closer. Daisy, Violet, and Lily are even running the Cerulean Gym more professionally, though Misty stubbornly says, "They've improved, but my sisters would still be totally lost without me." Heh, I can relate. I sometimes feel lost without Misty, myself. But at least Daisy, Violet, and Lily seem to appreciate Misty nowadays. In fact, the elder siblings decided to treat Misty to a mini-vacation, a well-deserved gift for all of Misty's hard work with the Gym. This break also happened to be Daisy, Lily, and Violet's birthday present for their baby sister. Trust me; Misty's vacation in March, of all months, was no coincidence.

An upcoming birthday party in Pallet Town was no coincidence, either.

Even though Misty was on vacation, her sisters were still running the Cerulean Gym as scheduled. Between current Cascade Badge battles and water shows, there was no possible way to fit a birthday party into the Cerulean Gym. My friends and I were already staying in Pallet Town, anyway. It was the perfect time and the perfect location for a party! No point in hosting it in Petalburg City again. It was downright stupid to run all the way back to the Hoenn Region when my friends and I were already in Kanto. Plus, after last year's birthday party fiasco, I had no intentions of nearly ransacking May and Max' house again. That party's Pokemon went wild and made an enormous mess! I'm counting my blessings that Norman and Caroline never sued me, or at least never banned me from ever coming back. For once in my life, I wasn't going to push my luck.

By now, the Hoenn League wrapped up two weeks ago. It was the ideal opportunity for me, Brock, May, and Max to spend some time in Pallet Town before the Battle Frontier. I could not have asked for better timing (since nine times out of ten my timing sucks). Yeah, it would have been fun just to sit around my house, relax, play video games, sleep in, and enjoy all the other comforts of home. However, my few days off in Pallet were going to be devoted to Misty's latest birthday. Specifically, my spare time would be devoted to Misty's latest birthday party in none other than my hometown of Pallet!

I couldn't ask for a more perfect reunion.

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><p><strong>Ch.1: "She's Back Like a Lion!"<strong>

"_Aash!_" Misty whined on the other line of the videophone that morning. She was still in Cerulean City, whereas my friends and I had spent the past few days in Pallet. While Mom, Brock, and the others were downstairs party-prepping, I got a little "alone time" with Misty via Mom's phone upstairs. No complaints here!

With an aquamarine eye roll I knew very well, the red-haired birthday girl groaned at me through the screen. One year had passed, but she still looked and acted like the Misty we all knew and love…heheh. "_Ash, please! You're not obligated to throw me a huge birthday party every year, you know!_"

I rolled my eyes, giggling mischievously. "First off; I didn't throw you a 'huge' birthday party last year. It was just a little shindig at May and Max' house," _and it kinda' went to hell, too_, though I didn't voice that detail. I mean, for all intents and purposes, Misty's birthday last year was a success, but it was also a mess, _literally_. It took the greater part of the day for us to fully clean the shambles of the Petalburg Gym. I also willingly paid halfway on any damages that could not be fixed with a mop and bucket. Misty and me becoming semi-boyfriend/semi-girlfriend was just a silver lining. I'd be lying if I claimed I didn't want to redeem myself again. "And secondly; why _shouldn_'t I throw you another party? I think after all the other parties I ruined, I owe you more than one good party."

"_The last party you threw was more than enough, Ash_," Misty reassured, wearing a playful, all-knowing grin. I knew she was right, but typical _me_; I still didn't like to give Misty the satisfaction of being right while I was wrong. She and I may be closer, but we're not close enough to forget our little rivalry, hence "semi"-boyfriend! I may like Misty, but I'm still not ready to lose to a girl, especially a girl like her!

Still, how is it that girls know everything? It's like Misty can read my mind sometimes, and she's not afraid to make me look dumb. Hell, I'm smart! I know things! Like recently, I finally figured out the deal with the "Pidgeys and Beedrills" – it has NOTHING to do with 'actual' Pidgeys and Beedrills! There's no Pelliper Post Office that delivers babies around the world, either. Yes, newbie trainers are required to take a basic "sex-ed" class to qualify for a license, but again, it's a _basic _rundown. The teachers didn't get into the nitty-gritty stuff when working with nine-year-olds. So…when I took the course…honestly…I didn't really understand it. Don't laugh! Anybody can memorize definitions and diagrams, but that doesn't necessarily mean you understand the deeper 'meanings' behind the words and pictures. So, Mom finally sat me down and explained those deeper meanings. Now…I really wish the "Pidgeys and Beedrills" were about 'actual' birds and bees. Mom told me about what people "do," you know…"when a man and a woman fall in love," and all that. It's kinda' disturbing, too. I mean, think about it: a guy and a girl doing…THAT! Eew! That's just…eww! Gross! Nasty! Yuck! I wanna' throw up just thinking about it! Eew! Eeew! _Eeeew_! As Ho-Oh as my witness, I swear: I will NEVER _EVER_ DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT!

"_Ash? You okay? You're turning awfully pale all of a sudden._"

Uh, I'd better stop thinking about that nasty stuff, shouldn't I? Besides, I don't like the idea of thinking about 'that' with Misty around. Though, Mom actually said sex is "perfectly natural," and even "beautiful." Don't ask me how that works. If you ask me, seeing Pikachu's coat all shiny and golden is "beautiful." Better yet, my Orange League trophy: now _that_'s beauty! Just imagine a Grand Championship trophy! Mom says I'll understand when I'm older. Chances are, Misty knows about this 'adult' stuff, too (I'm usually the last person to find out about these things). But despite how nasty that stuff is, I guess if it's "natural" and "beautiful," I guess there's no fault in knowing about it (it's better than believing magical Pelliper deliver babies all over the world). Misty probably wouldn't be bothered, since like I said, girls know everything. So, maybe there's nothing wrong with me thinking about sex and Misty…and, uh…I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT!

"_Ash? Now you're turning red!_"

Dammit…dammit…change the subject! Quick! CHANGE THE SUBJECT!

"_Argh, you're so weird_."

Eehh, what was I talking about again? Oh right! The Pallet party! "B-but t-this year's gonna' be different, Myst!" I reassured, shaking the blush from my face. Needing an extra second to recompose myself, I finally managed to nod confidently. Of course, whenever I get too energetic, Misty seems to think I'm destined to bring some disaster in the future. Jeez, I'm not a walking disaster…am I? Don't answer that.

One red-orange eyebrow rose suspiciously. "_'Different.' Oh really?_"

Accepting the challenging look in Misty's face, I nodded enthusiastically. "This year, it's gonna' be _great_!" I swore. "With no disasters, either."

To be expected, Misty laughed, incredulously shaking her head. "_Ash, no matter what you plan, SOME disaster ALWAYS befalls you!_" Sheesh, thanks for the vote of confidence, Myst. Love you, too. Er…that was _sarcasm_. Please tell me you know that was sarcasm! "_Seriously, don't go overboard this year._"

Despite my mental rambles, I frowned curiously. "I didn't go overboard _last _year."

Misty seemed to beg to differ, but she had a smile on her face. It wasn't a cocky smile, either. Instead, it was a very warm smile: soft, sweet, cute…and Butterfrees are going crazy inside my stomach right now. How do girls do that, too? "_Listen Ash. It's really sweet of you guys to plan a party for me. I appreciate it._

"_But the thing is_…" she trailed, causing the smile to disappear. I kinda' missed the Butterfrees, too. "_I just recently started this vacation of mine. It's taking me a little time to unwind from the stresses of running the Cerulean Gym. I'm catching up on sleep, and just generally trying to decompress_."

I blinked curiously, raising my own eyebrow. "Decompose?"

"'_DECOMPRESS,' you bonehead_," Misty growled, narrowing eyes into slits and causing me to sweatdrop impishly. Oops. Thankfully, the redhead didn't harp on my super-duper vocabulary like Misty usually does. Come to think of it, Misty wasn't acting as fiery and chipper as usual. Maybe she really was stressed.

Running a hand through her bangs, the girl sighed to prove her point. "_Really Ash, I don't want a big shindig. I already overheard my sisters say they're planning a little 'something' for me at the Cerulean Cape when I return from Pallet. Trust me, my sisters always over-do things, especially parties. I'd just like a small get-together with you guys_."

I suppose Misty had a point, but I couldn't prevent myself from pouting playfully. Back when Misty traveled with Brock and me, the girl always made a big to-do over her birthday, and the bigger the celebration the better. She'd drive us absolutely crazy! Now, it was weird for me to hear Misty say she'd actually prefer a toned-down birthday this year. True, Misty deserved R&R, but what better R&R than a big party?

"But Myst, it's your birthday! After all your hard work, you deserve to have fun!" Wow. I never thought I'd ever say that. Before last year, I used to cringe a month before Misty's crazy birthday, fearing the approaching "Judgment Day." But after last year's Petalburg party, Misty's birthday held new meaning to me. As wild and unbelievable as it sounds, I was honestly excited about March 20th this year! After all, Misty and I would be together again, and I had a chance to throw her another party…a 'better' party. Last year's party wasn't a picture-perfect example of redeeming myself, but I swore this year would be different.

Plus, now that I knew Misty's sisters were planning another party, I could not let them outshine _my _party for Misty. Daisy, Violet, and Lily have a lot more money than I do, though I suppose it comes with the business of Gym leading and hosting popular water ballets. Still, an expensive party at the beautiful Cerulean Cape is a tough act to beat. Yes, I'm competitive. Nothing' like a good rivalry and challenge to get me fired up! Never before had I actually been thrilled to plan a party for Misty. Then again, never before had I felt quite like…_this_…when it came to Misty. Times change, and I guess people (and even me) change, too. Besides, I think I owed Misty a 100% stress-free birthday party. Last year's bash turned out great, but it was not without headaches.

"Misty, don't worry," I winked reassuringly alongside a grin. "This party is going to be _really _perfect."

Somehow, the word "perfect" tends to be a jinx on me. I think Misty knows that, too, which might explain her incredulous "yeah-right" expression. But instead of voicing her opinions, the redhead shook her head. It was a sure sign that Misty was in no mood to convince me otherwise. "_Just keep things simple, okay Ash? Seriously, I'd just like to see my friends, though you guys can invite other friends if you want. I know you've got buddies in Pallet Town, Ash_."

Yeah right. Who exactly did Misty expect me to invite to this party? _Gary_? True, I did plan on inviting extra friends, but they're extra friends of _Misty_, not me. I have pals in Pallet, but if they don't know the birthday girl then what's the point of them attending her party? I'm not inviting extra people just to crowd my house and horn in on free food. And Gary, well…let's just say my birthday crises date all the way back to when he and I were little. Lots of messes, arguments, headaches…it's a story for another time, but the point is that Gary isn't invited. He and I are on better terms, but Gary Oak is still Gary Oak. If this were my birthday, I might invite Gary ("might" being the key word), but this is Misty's day and Gary hardly knows her. I don't want him pulling anything that might make me look stupid, either. I look stupid just fine by myself, and I don't need Gary's so-called help.

"_I'm not looking for some extravagant party, though, okay?_" Misty asked, slightly begging, and sounding a bit grumpy. Even though I still had a hard time believing birthday-savvy Misty wanted a small party, her agitated tone spoke volumes. "_I've been stressed at the Gym, and I don't need anyMORE stress…ESPECIALLY Ash Ketchum-related stress, GOT IT?_"

I rolled my eyes again, unable to restrain my laughter. Misty's temper never changed over the years. Her fire might be dimmer than usual, but it was still present. In fact, hearing her sarcasm was a good indication that below her stressed-out exterior, Misty was still Misty. And the Misty I knew loved huge birthday parties.

But suddenly, I became torn between consciences. What Misty _says_, and what Misty _wants_, aren't always the same things. Should I obey her request for a small party? Or, should I follow my instincts? Having known Misty for such a long time, my instincts told me that Misty would always be a fan of big birthday parties. And now that Misty and I have gotten closer, I think I can understand why she considers birthdays to be so important. Why _not_ celebrate the day of a person's birth? Why _not_ celebrate the birthday of the person most special to you? Even before we became semi-boyfriend/girlfriend, Misty has always been very special to me. Trust me, a person like Misty is worth celebrating.

I hadn't yet decided whether or not I'd throw a large or small party for Misty. But for the time being, I figured I'd humor her. "Okay, okay," I moaned playfully, sticking out my tongue at her and snickering. "But I've gotta' admit; hearing you say you want a small get-together is kinda' weird. God, you're getting boring in your old age, Misty."

"_Hardy har har_," she chimed, sticking her tongue out right back at me. "_Just do me that favor, okay? A simple party, no strings attached._"

Grinning devilishly, I flashed her a purposeful up-to-no-good smile Misty knew very well. "So I'll have to stock up on balloons, streamers, fireworks, whoopee cushions, water balloons _of course_..."

If we weren't separated by a video phone, Misty would've clobbered me with her mallet. "_What was I just saying about Ash Ketchum-related stress, Ash?_" the girl snapped, making me chuckle out loud. Misty knew I was teasing, but apparently, the redhead was not lying about her extra stress at the Gym. She sure seemed crankier than usual. Although I was only playing, I really did not want to anger Misty, either.

Relenting, I softened my face and nodded understandingly. "Okay, Myst. Don't worry. The party will be fine," I reassured with another wink, which seemed to brighten the girl's spirits. Misty smiled prettily again, and then came my stomach Butterfrees! Seriously, how do girls do that? It's gotta' be magic or something! "But the party won't be _boring_, either, Misty. I want you to have a memorable birthday, after all."

Maybe the video screen was smudged, but I could've sworn there was a hint of pink on Misty's cheeks. Um, that's a good sign, right?

Sadly, the blush didn't last long before Misty reverted back to her old self. Then came her headshake with an exasperated sigh. "_Ash, I haven't seen you, Brock, and the others since last year! Boring or not, the party is bound to be memorable anyway, so don't worry so much. Besides, I wouldn't want to stress you out on your own little vacation._"

Then I was the one who blinked upon hearing Misty voice her own concerns over me. Really, if she was so stressed out, there wasn't any need for her to worry about me, too. Jeez, Mom's the same way! Why does everybody worry about me? I can take care of myself just fine, thank you!

"You're not stressing me out. I want to do this for you, Misty," I spoke honestly, noticing Misty giggle again on the other line. Another hand ran through her crimson locks, while a little crimson deepened on her cheeks. For someone who deemed herself a romantic, Misty was just as shy around certain romantic things. The funny part is I did not consider what I just said to be overly romantic. Bah, it's gotta' be a girl thing.

"_You're sweet, Ash_." And then she would say something like that…and my own face would be just as red as hers. Er, I guess I'm not much better at these romantic things, myself. Though, unlike Misty, I never considered myself a romantic in the first place.

Licking my lips and attempting to tame the goofy grin on my face, I restrained myself from jumping excitedly. "So, you'll be here in a few days, right?" I asked her in high anticipation, beaming brightly. For the first time in my life, I absolutely couldn't wait for March 20th. To me, Misty's birthday almost became the equivalent of Christmas. The special day could not come soon enough!

Naturally, Misty also could hardly wait for the twentieth, but leave it to her to play a sarcastic poker face. "_Actually, now that I know you're gonna' plan another party, I've decided to evacuate Kanto while I still can_."

Brown eyes narrowing, I snorted, "Hilarious, Myst."

She was obviously enjoying this playful exchange, not that I was minding it. "_I'll be there on the twentieth_," Misty reassured confidently. "_But just promise me the party's not gonna' be a re-run of last year, I mean with the rampaging Pokemon destroying the house and all_."

Okay, "rampaging Pokemon destroying the house" was an exaggeration, but I still shuddered at that painful, costly memory of the Petalburg party. I had no plans of pulling _that_ stunt again: borrowing a bunch of Pokemon (that did not even belong to us) for Misty's birthday party. A thunderstorm caused the Pokemon to freak out, and they nearly totaled May and Max' Gym. What a mess that was!

Since this year's party was going to be in Pallet Town, I did not want my own house near-demolished, either. Hell no! This year's party would be totally different. I learn from my mistakes. I'm not an idiot – yet, for some reason, Misty (and the rest of the world) doesn't seem to agree with me.

"Don't worry, Misty," I replied confidently.

"_Ash, with you, I ALWAYS worry_," Misty teased, very much like my mom when she wants to torment me with guilt. Oh yeah, this has got to be a girl thing. No doubt. "_But either way, I guess I'll 'have' to show up for this thing_," she said, sarcastically making it sound like a real chore. "_Since you're being so adamant about it and all_."

"Well, if you _don_'t want to show up, it's gonna' be your loss, Misty," I teased with a playful shrug.

"_Considering you and your shenanigans, Ash Ketchum, I think I'm willing to accept that loss_."

Naturally, we were only playing. Of course I wanted Misty to show up, and I know she wanted to show up, too! I just wanted to give her an honest to goodness 'good' birthday party. Everybody knows I ruined countless parties in the past. What's wrong with throwing a fun party for the girl you lov…er, for the girl you _like_?

"All your friends will be waiting for you, Misty," I retorted like an energetic advertisement, grinning like a fool as I noticed an excited sparkle in Misty's eyes. Regardless of age and stress, Misty always put her birthday on a pedestal, and now I was finally starting to act just as birthday-savvy as her! "Plus, my mom's baking you a special chocolate cake."

"_…Which YOU'LL probably eat before I arrive_."

"I will not! Although, Mom's cakes _are_ good…reeeeally good…"

Misty just rolled her eyes and shook her head. "_Just don't start another water balloon war the second your mom brings out the cake, okay Ash?_" she insisted, reminding me of yet another Pallet Town party disaster of mine. Once again, I had no intentions of pulling that stunt again. I barely survived the previous water balloon ordeal from a few years ago. The last thing I wanted to do was tick-off Mom again. "Behave yourself for a change."

"I will, as long as _you _show up." I countered.

"_Of course I'll show up, dimwit! It's my birthday party, so I kinda' HAVE to show up_," Misty replied obviously, exhaling a giggle. "_Besides, I've missed you guys. AND, I heard a certain 'someone' did pretty well in the Hoenn League…considering I wasn't around to coach him with my incredible insight_."

Misty was right, but that didn't mean I had to let her know it. "I think I did _better _in the Hoenn League _without _your 'incredible insight'." Such was partially true. The Hoenn League was my best competition performance yet, but I figured it was just because I was becoming a better trainer. I highly doubted I did better because Misty was not around to coach me. Frankly, I missed her that week. It was the first League competition I entered without Misty around to cheer me on from the sidelines. Don't get me wrong; I appreciated Brock, May, and Max' support. I'm sure Misty was cheering me on back in Cerulean, watching me via TV, but it really was not the same.

"_You would have WON the competition if I was there,_" Misty replied matter-of-factly, nodding her head once and causing her ponytail to bob.

A hand found its way to the back of my neck. For some reason, I found myself agreeing 100% with Misty. I didn't _want_ to admit it, but for once…well, Misty's birthday is coming up, so why not make the girl happy? "You're probably right, Myst."

She needed a moment, obviously not expecting me to admit that. Well, I didn't 'exactly' admit I needed her help…hell no! I can take care of myself. In fact, I can't stand it when people like Mom and Misty act like I'm helpless. But, I do believe I'm where I am today…thanks to my friends.

Misty probably knew that, too, but she preferred continuing our game. "_Of course I'm right. I always am_!" She said, twirling something around with one finger off-screen. Curious, I cocked my head to try and see what she was up to. Not a second later, a twirled blur of red and white made its début on Misty's end of the phone line. My eyes widened in both shock and joy upon seeing Misty showcasing her birthday present from last year: my old Pokemon League hat.

"You've still got that thing?" I asked incredulously. Heh, my parents used to say the same thing to me when I originally won that hat. I constantly wore the hat thereafter, and Mom always complained when I wore it to school or to the dinner table. You can imagine the fiascos that ensued when Mom wanted me to take a shower, and I didn't want to part with my precious hat. The one day I misplaced the hat, I turned my house upside-down looking for it!

Heheh, now that the hat happens to be in Misty's possession, my old obsession seems pretty silly.

_"This hat is my good luck charm_," Misty smiled proudly, plopping the hat on her head. Funny, the hat used to be my good luck charm, too. Here's to hoping the hat would bring just as much luck to Misty. She deserved it. Sure, the hat's red color somewhat clashed with Misty's hair. I'm not a fashion expert, but I can picture Misty's sisters making some comment on the hat not matching Misty's eyes or something. Oh well. Misty didn't seem to mind. She obviously kept (and likes) my hat. For some reason, the article looked pretty good on her.

That is…until the redhead decided to be a wiseass, turn the hat backwards, wink, and flashed the victory sign. It was a painstakingly familiar pose. Duplica pulled that once before, and neither times flattered me. "_Guess who I'm imitating_."

I just rolled my eyes, stuck out my tongue, and deadpanned, "Ha ha."

She chuckled, turning the hat back. "_You know, this happens to be my favorite birthday present, too. How're you gonna' outdo yourself THIS year?_"

Last year, when Professor Birch asked me what present I got for Misty, I panicked, and ended up giving Misty a last-minute gift. This time around, though, I was prepared...very prepared. I spent ample time finding Misty a present for this birthday. No sir! I wasn't taking any chances with Misty's new birthday. I had plenty of time to plan all the loopholes and stupid ways this party could go wrong. Trust me; I knew what I was doing this year. There's no possible way this year's party could be a repeat of last year's! What gift was awaiting the birthday girl in Pallet Town?

"Heheh, you'll have to wait and see, Misty."

Misty was never the patient type, just like me, so teasing her like this was just going to make her more anxious to arrive. I could tell she was getting excited in her seat, though so was I. Neither of us could wait to see each other again…in person, that is. Phone calls and letters only go so far.

"_Well, I guess I'll see you soon_," concluded Misty, surprisingly not prying me for more hints on her present. I noticed the girl check her watch, probably short on time. "_Crap, I'd better go. My sisters hate it when the phone's hogged. Heaven forbid challengers – or boys – call and can't get through_." A Gym Leader's life, even on vacation, never seemed to stop. "_Anyway, I'll see you in a few days. And TRY to behave yourself this time around, got it, Ash?_"

That sounded like something Mom might say. Unfazed, I chuckled, flashing her a bright smile. "_Always_, Myst."

Then we smiled. Then we…blushed. Then we giggled and said our farewells. But the goodbyes were anything but bittersweet, knowing we'd see each other in three days. No greater reason to be happy, right?

For the first time in years, I could not wait for March 20th!

**To Be Continued...**

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><p><strong>AN**: Dun, dun, dun! Look out folks; Ash Ketchum is planning another birthday party! Our sweet little boy never learns his lessons, does he? But maybe, just maybe, Ash's plans will turn out better this time around. Oh please! Where's the fun in that? If you're reading this sequel, you should know me well enough by now. Hehehehehe…

**FYI**: FFnet has been undergoing various login/publishing/etc. glitches for the past month (the main reason why this story wasn't published sooner). In the event of chapter delays, I usually post notices on my profile. However, in the event a chapter is delayed and I'm able to send notices, I kindly ask readers to please be patient. I'm hoping this story won't encounter any delays, but you never know, so I'm just taking precautions.

* Commemorating the return of "It's Her Party," your authoress drew fanart available on DeviantArt. URL links are available on my FFnet profile. Enjoy!

Well, I hope you enjoyed the prologue of this short story. Chapter 2 should be posted sometime next week. I'd appreciate any reviews. Thanks very much for reading and coming aboard my first sequel!


	2. You're Invited

**COPYRIGHT NOTE**: I don't own _Pokemon / Pocket Monsters_, or the song "It's My Party (and I'll Cry If I Want To)," performed by Lesley Gore.

**COMMENTS**: Thanks very much to everyone who read/reviewed/etc. thus far! I greatly appreciate it, and I certainly hope this sequel will live up to everybody's expectations (no pressure, right? ^_^;). But like I said before, Ch.1 was meant to be a prologue, and Ch.2 and beyond will get Ash and co.'s b-day antics rolling. I even sprinkled dashes of other Pallet Town pairings into this chapter (see if you can find them). I'm feeling pretty excited about this story, and I hope you are, too!

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><p><strong>It's Her Party, and I'm In Big Trouble Again<strong>

_Aiselne Phoenix_

**Ch.2: "You're Invited"**

"**Y**es!" I cheered, balling my fists in excitement. Now there was no doubt in my mind: Misty was actually going to show up for the party. Like she said, it's Misty's own birthday, so it's only natural that she'd show up. But the last thing I wanted was to plan a party, only to find out the birthday girl was sick, busy, or had some reason for not being able to arrive on the twentieth. Hence why I called Misty, and hence why I was thrilled to know all plans were good to go! Awesome! I could hardly wait!

But first things first, of course. Now that Misty's coming was confirmed, it was time to get down to business and finalize the party plans. I wasn't leaving anything to chance this year, and I sure as hell wasn't gonna' wait until the last minute again. Only three days separated us from Misty's party. We had three days worth of finishing touches my friends and I needed to make before the birthday girl's arrival. See? The days of Ash Ketchum procrastinating are over. That's right! Ha, and people say I don't know what I'm doing.

Anyway… "Okay, are the party favors all set?" I asked while bounding downstairs to my living room. Brock, May, and Max were already there, gathered around the coffee table and sorting through bags of colorful party favors: balloons, streamers, confetti...the works! The moment the trio heard my ruckus, Brock and the siblings turned to me with expectant looks on their faces. Plain as day, they could hardly await the news I was about to relay regarding Misty.

Raising an eyebrow, Brock smirked at my question. "I take it Misty is coming on the twentieth," he assumed correctly. He, Max, and Pikachu occupied the sofa, while May sat on the carpet with Munchlax on her lap. All of them seemed to get a silent kick out of my enthusiasm over this party, considering my past experiences with Misty's semi-traumatic birthdays. Well, times change, and so have I! I'll bet Misty would be proud.

"Oh, she's coming alright!" I practically cheered in excitement, plopping down on the floor next to May and immediately leafing through party favors. I wanted to double-check to make sure we had everything necessary for the party. "Make a list, check it twice" – it's not a bad strategy for getting a job done, even outside the Christmas season. True, my friends and I had not been procrastinating like last year, but there were a few party items we had yet to get. After all, just because I planned ahead (for once) didn't guarantee that the stores would be fully stocked with the party's necessities.

The invitations were a perfect example of things gone wrong, through no fault of my own. Honest! We had to send back the first batch because all the cards misprinted Misty's name as "Missy." A simple mistake, I guess, though on the second time around we got cards that were blank inside. May and Max agreed to personally write the inscriptions, and I trust my friends more so than I trust companies. Plus, have you ever seen May's handwriting? Her cursive is all fancy and neat! My handwriting is…eh, not so pretty. And Max is the bookworm, and for his age, he's not too shabby with words…not that birthday invitations require Shakespeare. When the brother and sister combine talents, you'd be surprised what May and Max can accomplish. Let's just say they easily resolved the previous invitation mix-up.

But I suppose it'd be too easy if misprinted invitations were my 'only' little setbacks. We've also been having, er, 'difficulties' with Misty's cake…not that I would know anything about that. _Really_! And to be expected, Brock's in charge of most cooking. We still had yet to buy all the food, but Brock figured the perishable food should be purchased last, just so we could buy it fresh. No point in serving stale old food at a party, right?

So, miraculously, most last-minute finishing touches were not on account of my laziness. Isn't it amazing what happens when I put my mind to something? Heheh. "And Misty actually told me _not _to go overboard on the party!" I laughed to Brock and the others, shaking my head. "Can you believe that?"

May and Max exchanged smirks across the coffee table. "With you, especially concerning birthdays, I can believe almost anything, Ash," Max snickered as I shot him a soft glare. He deserved the streamer I chuckled at him, the red tape bouncing off his glasses and causing the boy to jump.

"Ash, if Misty said not to over-do, we probably _shouldn_'t over-do," May advised, holding the wiggling Munchlax in her lap the entire time. Her hungry Pokemon had been constantly releasing itself from its Pokeball all morning, trying to inch into the kitchen where Mom was making Misty's chocolate cake. Poor Mom already had enough challenges in making Misty's dessert.

First off, we ran out of chocolate frosting. Even worse, Mom instantly blamed _me _for that! Okay, okay, so I snuck a 'little' frosting after she bought the tube yesterday. I didn't eat _all_ of it! But apparently, whatever amount of frosting I left was not adequate for the cake. So, Mom had to buy more frosting, and she refused to let me near the new tube. In fact, Mom didn't let me near the whole kitchen all morning, saying I'll only "get in the way," which is not true! I would help her! It's just that, every now and then, I _might _get a teensy-weensy bit sidetracked by the sugar…or the chocolate…or the frosting…and oh God, that frosting is _to die for_! But you can be sure I'd help Mom, as long as I keep my mind off the candy, the cookies, the frosting…damn, that frosting was good. I think it was made with Miltank butter or something, which is sooo tasty, and…er…I'm not making a strong case, am I? Never mind.

"May, Misty deserves a REAL party!" I confidently reassured her with a thumbs-up, thereafter double-checking the amount of birthday candles we had. "We're gonna' throw a party with no disasters; one with lots of friends-"

"Ash, with you planning it, there's gonna' be some disaster," Brock said matter-of-factly, getting a green streamer chucked at his face for that lovely comment. Jeez, even though I was on the ball with this party, everybody still thought I'd mess it up again. Yeah, I don't have much luck with parties, but come' on! With all this planning and forethought, there's no way I could goof this year's shindig! I'm not being overconfident – I'm being truthful! If you plan something months ahead of time, there's no room for failure! It's a guarantee! "And if Misty said not to go overboard, we should respect her wishes."

"Oh come' on, Brock!" I laughed, passively waving a hand. "Don't tell me you believe that! Since when does Misty _not_ make a hullabaloo about her birthday? Remember when she was traveling with us? She used to make the grand announcement of her birthday on February 20th, and we'd hear about her stupid birthday for a straight month afterwards! Misty was just being humble: saying she wanted a small party, when she really wants a big party like always! She's just using that perverse psychology thing!"

For some random reason, Max lurched forward in his seat, making a noise that sounded like a cross between a snort and a snicker. May, Pikachu, and Brock made some weird faces, too. Um, was it something I said?

Shaking his head for a second, Brock then replied, "Ash, Misty is never 'humble' when it comes to her birthday. You and I know that better than anyone else. She's 100% serious whenever it comes to her birthday. Meaning: if Misty wants a small party, she WANTS a small party! The biggest party in the world is pointless if the birthday girl doesn't enjoy herself."

Brock had a point. However, "Well I know Misty, too," I said proudly, nodding confidently and folding my arms over my chest. "And she'll love nothing better than to see some of her old friends here. Besides, we're not inviting too many people; just a few. Heck, she even told me it'd be okay if we invited other friends."

For some reason, Brock and the others did not seem to share my confidence. Jeez, why does everybody look at me as though I'm in over my head? I know what I'm doing!

"What _else _did Misty tell you, Ash?" May asked rather tiredly, still restraining the starving Munchlax. "Aside the 'not over-doing it' part?"

"Pika pikachu," my electric buddy seemed to encourage.

"Misty said she's stressed out at the Cerulean Gym and just wants a simple get-together," I answered, chuckling. Really, it's funny to think Misty – of all people – would want a small birthday party. She always makes a big production of her 'special day.' "I didn't believe her, though."

Strangely, I heard May ground loudly next to me, rolling her blue eyes. "_Aaash_, if Misty wants a simple get-together, _that_'s what we should throw for her!" she replied, sounding as if she could not believe a word I was saying. Misty tended to complain like that, too, whenever I said something stupid. But I wasn't talking stupid this time…was I? "Look, it's really sweet that you want to throw Misty a big party. But like Brock said, if she doesn't want one, it'll be for nothing!"

"Don't worry, May," I confidently reassured her with a wink. "I know Misty, and she'll be head over heals for the party when she sees all her friends here. Besides, there won't be a mob of people attending. There'll only be just us four, Tracey, Marina, Casey, Trinity, and Sakura." Like I said, I had a whole year to plan this, and a whole year to invite Misty's other friends! I had already called the other girls, and they could hardly wait to see Misty again. "If my mom and Professor Oak come, that's a total of eleven people, which is a pretty small party if you ask me."

"_Twelve_ people actually, genius," Max corrected, fixing his glasses and snickering as I re-did the math again. Okay, so Max was right: twelve guests. I was never good at math, anyway. Pokemon training; oh yes, I was great at that, but not so much with math. Too many dumb numbers.

"Fine, _twelve _people," I corrected, shooting a blue streamer at the playful troublemaker. "Whatever. It's still a small group for a party."

"I think it's a fine group for a party," Brock said honestly, sighing as he ran a hand through his spiky hair. "Parties back home in Pewter City…_urgh_; try dealing with ten younger brothers and sisters, all each inviting their friends, plus their friends inviting friends, and God...it gets _crazy_! Twelve people for a birthday party are more than enough in my opinion."

"Yeah," May agreed, wholeheartedly nodding with bobbing pigtails. "Besides, Misty wants a simple party; nothing over the top. Twelve people will be more than enough."

"And if she's stressed out like she says she is…" Max added with a purposeful grin in my direction. "…Then the last thing she needs is 'more' stress on her birthday. Unless, of course, you _want _Misty to pulverize you this year as well."

"Misty didn't pulverize me _last _year," I countered matter-of-factly.

"Lucky," Max nodded, giggling as an orange streamer bounced off his forehead.

"Pika." Even Pikachu agreed! Gee, thanks buddy.

"Guys, we all know Misty," I started reassuringly. "Stressed out or not, she loves hanging out with friends, and this is her chance to catch-up with some friends she hasn't seen in a really long time. We haven't seen Marina since the Orange Islands, which was _years_ ago, and the same applies to Trinity in Johto. When I called Casey and Sakura, they each said they bumped into Misty sometime while we were in Hoenn, but who knows how long ago that was? Plus, there's _us_, too. With all of us together again, no doubt, this party should be memorable."

"Every party _you _plan's gonna' be 'memorable,' one way or another," Max replied sarcastically. I decided to ignore him this time. "Remember what happened last year at our house? I mean, you'd be pretty stupid to try it at your own house, Ash, but then again..."

"I know what I'm doing this time," I interrupted, ignoring a few snorts from my so-called friends. Yes, the mess at the Petalburg party was still in the back of my mind. I had no intention of letting Pokemon stampede through my house. In fact, this year's party was going to be more of a reunion than a full-blown party.

Learning my lesson from last year, Misty's new party would be entirely indoors. Mother Nature wasn't gonna' surprise me with a thunderstorm again, and even if she did, the party would be safely indoors, anyway. This year's party would happen in rain or shine. Unfortunately, my house is a lot smaller than May and Max' Gym, so we're limited on indoor activities. No Pokemon this time, except small ones like Pikachu.

If anything, Misty's new party would be a chance for her to chat with old friends. Heck, this year's party wasn't even going to have a barbeque, which kinda' bummed me out. Too bad Professor Oak is too busy to cook. Say, have I ever told you about his barbeques? Man, the professor cooks the best, and I mean the BEST, burgers! I don't know how Professor Oak does it, but…er, wait, déjà vu…something's telling me I've already talked about this before. Anyway, considering Misty's party isn't gonna' have the trimmings of cookouts and Pokemon this year, her Pallet party seems kinda' boring to me.

"Besides, we're inviting 'people,' not 'Pokemon,'" I reminded everybody. Though, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed to know the Pokemon would be kept to a minimum this year. Being a trainer, I love hanging out with Pokemon, and being a Gym Leader, I know Misty loves the same. But Mom already read me the Riot Act about "no Pokemon running around the house, Mister!" It didn't help that Mom already heard about last year's Petalburg incident, too. Can't say I blame her for not allowing Pokemon at this year's party, though. "People are better behaved, anyway. I seriously doubt we're all gonna' start stampeding through my house like the Pokemon did last year."

"I dunno, Ash…" Brock wondered with an odd grin. "People can do some crazy things at parties."

For once, Max shot a snicker at Brock instead of at me. "Such _as_?" the dark-haired boy dared to ask, jabbing Brock's rib. "Is this coming from the 'voice of experience,' Brock?"

I blinked curiously, while Brock chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Well Max, let's just say, when people are under the influence of sugar and or alcohol-"

"Oh _come'on_, Brock!" I exclaimed incredulously, widening eyes in exasperation. Alcohol? Jeez, where the hell did Brock get that idea? Surely he was joking, or at least he'd better be joking. None of us are of age, even Brock, so don't ask me where he's getting this alcohol idea. I'm probably better off not knowing. "Sugar, maybe, but there's not going to be any alcohol at this party!"

"There'd _better not be_!"

Uh-oh. The four of us cringed the second we heard footsteps storm into the room. Good going, Brocko! His brilliant alcohol comment drove Mom into the living room faster than a Rapidash! In her hands was the cake mixing bowl, and I probably would've started ogling the confectionary delight…had Mom not been staring at _me_ with a suspicious glint in her eyes. "What's this I'm hearing about alcohol, young man?"

I shot Brock a glare for ever bringing up the stupid subject. The last thing I needed was for Mom to cancel the party. It didn't help that Mom was leery about me throwing a party in the first place. She of all people knew about my birthday mishaps, so it took a lot of convincing (and groveling) for her to allow me to throw this shindig. Mom only relented under the condition that I handled the party _responsibly_. She gave me the typical speech: "you're old enough to watch over the house and not cause trouble," and so forth. I don't understand why Mom's concerned about me being responsible! I handle myself perfectly well while I'm traveling. Jeez, how much longer is she gonna' keep treating me like a damn baby?

Fortunately, Brock was willing to correct the problem he made. "That was my fault, Mrs. Ketchum," he admitted, raising a hand to get Mom's attention. "I was just saying how some parties tend to get crazy when alcohol's around, but I never assumed there would be any alcohol at this party. I was just speaking rhetorically, that's all."

I was grateful that Brock spoke up, and Mom seemed just as relieved. A few seconds later, Mom's face softened back to its typically cheerful state. Thank God.

"Well, okay, " Mom sighed, putting on a soft smile for us. Deeming it safe, Pikachu hopped off the couch to go keep my mom company, nuzzling one of its electric cheeks against her left ankle. Once Mom giggled, I felt myself rise to my feet to meet her. "Phew, you kids got me worried there for a second. I thought I might have to chain up the downstairs wine cabinet."

I rolled my eyes, giving her a reassuring chuckle. "Come' on, Mom. You can trust us."

"Oh, I know I can, sweetie," she giggled, though I could tell Mom was still nervous about this whole party event. "Even so, I don't want any trouble during this party." For the record, this is the twentieth time she's rehashed the responsibility lecture. "Professor Oak still hasn't called me back about those tickets. If he did manage to get them, he and I won't be able to chaperone Misty's party. You kids are gonna' have to behave yourselves…"

"_Mooom_!" I started to whine, which was probably not in my favor. Nevertheless, it gets on my nerves when Mom acts as though I'm a disaster waiting to happen. Future Pokemon Masters don't need their mothers chaperoning simple parties! "Of course we'll behave ourselves! Jeez, if Professor Oak does get those tickets, you'll never enjoy the play if you keep worrying about us!"

You see, Mom has been dying to see this show at the downtown playhouse: some sorta' musical with romance, poetry, and guys in tights. Needless to say, it's something I have absolutely no interest in seeing. Musicals aren't my cup of tea, but this particular show has been selling tickets like hotcakes for months. Mom was bummed out when the tickets sold out at Christmas, but Professor Oak promised to get her tickets later on. Like I said, the play involves poetry, so it shouldn't be any surprise why the professor is dead-set on getting those tickets. Strangely, Brock seems convinced there's "another reason" why Professor Oak is desperate to get my Mom those tickets. What other reason could there be? It's not like Mom and the professor are going out on a date or something! Haha, yeah right! Heh, seriously, Brock gets reeeally weird ideas in his head sometimes. He and May should stop watching soap operas.

Anyway, the point is that if Professor Oak manages to get Mom's tickets, then neither adult will be available to chaperone Misty's party. Why? Guess what night the play falls on. Mom already contemplated forgetting the play, but she doesn't want to be rude to Professor Oak, either. Since Christmas, he's been fighting tooth and nail to get these tickets for her. Mom also hates to impose the neighbors to babysit us, especially when we kids are "old enough to act responsible."

Unfortunately, Mom's still a worrywart when it comes to leaving me alone. Sometimes I think it's a damn miracle she ever let me leave on my Pokemon journey. If you ask me, the date of the play and party couldn't be more perfect. Not only would it be my chance to throw Misty a great party, but it'll be a chance to prove to Mom that I _am_ responsible. A win-win situation! For once, it didn't feel like fate was out to screw me.

"I suppose my baby is bound to grow up sooner or later," Mom shrugged in slight defeat. Of course, her obligatory "baby" comment earned a few discreet snickers from my friends. My mom didn't seem to hear them, but I sure did, which explained why I shot glares at Brock, May, and Max. Urgh! Did Mom really have to say "baby," of all names? "But I'm still a mother, and mothers worry about these things…" Mom paused, before locking her brown eyes with mine. Uh-oh. I'd know that maternal 'look' anywhere. "…Especially when I'm the mother of a son who seems particularly fond of getting into trouble."

"She's got you read, Ash," Max noted the obvious, promoting a few more giggles from his sister and Brock.

Ignoring them, I kept my attention on Mom. Thankfully, she was finally averting her attention to something other than unintentionally humiliating me. Propping the mixing bowl in one arm, she began to stir the spoon with her free hand. Though her attention was on the cake batter, Mom wasn't quite done speaking to me. "So, Misty's coming on the _twentieth_, right?" she double-checked.

I nodded energetically, not bothering to keep a smile off my lips. Knowing Misty's arrival was just days away automatically fired up my excitement. "Yup!"

"Three days…" trailed Mom, peering across the living room for some reason. Everything looked fine and tidy to me, but typical Mom just sighed. "Goodness, I'm gonna' have to spruce this place up a bit. The carpet could use a vacuuming, the windows are a little dingy…and dear God, that fireplace mantel has more dust than a desert-!"

"_Mom_!" I cut her off, sighing and sweatdropping before she started fussing over something as dumb and unnoticeable as a wrinkle in the window drapes! Sure, Mom runs a tight and tidy ship around here, but she kinda' goes cleaning-crazy sometimes. From my angle, the living room looked A-okay to me. Then again, when Misty first saw and entered my bedroom, she muttered to Brock "Welcome to Mini Gringy City," which is a HUGE exaggeration! My room's not _that_ bad! Sure, my room could probably be a bit tidier, but…hey, gimmie a break! I've spent the past few days in Pallet planning Misty's party. It's not like I've been doing nothing all week. I'll clean my pit, er, I mean I'll clean my room once the party preparations are complete. But as far as the rest of the house looked, I don't know why Mom was worried. "Jeez, Mom, you make it sound like we live in a pigpen! Come' on, we're not _that_ sloppy. The house looks fine!"

"Ash, I spy two dust bunnies in the corner over there," Mom continued, pointing with the mixing stick to the said area. I'd be damned if I noticed any dust bunnies. Why do people even call them dust bunnies, anyway? They look more like gray cotton balls, not bunnies. Then again, I'm still trying to figure out what's the deal behind Brock's latest interest in reading books about Flying Pokemon. Yeah, Brock's a breeder, but the weird thing is I've never once seen a bird pictured on the covers, just girls! When I asked Brock about it, he went into girl-drooling mode and muttered something that sounded like "Hoot-Hoots." Then Max attacked Brock's ear and I decided I was better off not knowing.

But regardless of bunnies and Hoot-Hoots, I still thought my living room looked presentable. Why Mom was making such a federal case about it was beyond me. The party guests would be too busy enjoying the get-together to notice the so-called dust bunnies, anyway! Sadly, my cleanaholic mother is a fussbudget. I obviously didn't inherit Mom's compulsion for cleanliness.

"Urgh, I simply can't _stand_ looking at that filthy mantel!" Mom kept complaining, causing me to sigh all over again. "The clock, the picture frames, and even my Pokemon figurines look like they belong in a museum!"

I just rolled my eyes. "_Mooom_! It's _fiiine_!"

"It most certainly isn't 'fine,' Ash!" she retorted, looking pretty disgusted over the sight of the horrible fireplace mantel. Seriously, the mantel looked fine to me. Maybe moms have x-ray vision and can see dust better than kids can. "I can barely distinguish all the tails on my Ninetails figurine, and poor Articuno looks like it's covered in snow!"

Shrugging impishly, I noted, "Well…Articuno's an Ice Type, Mom. Snow suits it."

My head would've gotten bopped with Mom's mixing spoon, had the utensil not been covered in chocolate goo – which is a pain to clean out of hair. Chocolate: fun to eat, not so fun to play with (and, uh, I'm not speaking from experience…really!). Even so, Mom still playfully narrowed her eyes at me as reward for my Articuno snow/dust comment. "You know that isn't what I mean, Mr. Smarty Pants."

At last, one of my friends decided to save me before Mom delegated me for cleaning duty. Aside the fact that I find housecleaning as exciting as watching Slugma race, I didn't have time to finalize Misty's party and clean a whole house. Sure, Mom's busy, too, but… "Ah, don't worry about it, Mrs. K!" Brock finally piped up from the couch, raising a hand to get her attention. "You just leave the vacuuming and dusting to me! I'll have this place spic-and-span by the twentieth!"

Brock wasn't lying, either. Everybody knows Brock loves cleanliness and my mom. Er, waitaminute…I mean Brock loves cleanliness and _so does_ my mom. Heh, it's not like Brock's got a thing for my mother. Heheh, that's funny when you think about it: Brock and Mom. Hahah, that's almost as funny as my mom with Professor Oak! Hahahah…er, well, actually, it's kinda' disturbing, too. Sure, I know Brock's nuts over girls, well, 'women.' He likes Pokemon, too, but Mom never became a trainer, so I guess I don't have to worry about Brock ogling my mom and her Hoot-Hoots. Still, I know Brock spent a few months with Mom after that incident with Professor Ivy, but…oh God…Brock and my MOM? First Professor Oak, now Brock? All of a sudden, I reeeally don't wanna' be thinking too deeply about this, so let's pleeease change the subject!

Getting my mind set on something else, I glanced down at Pikachu for just a second. Thank God Pikachu possesses the power to make me smile no matter what. Exchanging happy grins, I refocused my attention back to what really mattered: Misty's party. A part of me wanted to fast-forward to March 20th, while another part of me was actually enjoying the preparations for the celebration. When plans aren't rush-rush or at the last minute, it's actually kinda' fun brainstorming party themes, buying gifts and favors…not to mention baking delicious party treats.

"So…" I trailed, eyeing Mom's chocolate-covered mixing bowl. "…How's Misty's cake coming along?"

"Fine," Mom nodded pleasantly, still stirring the mix. "Mimie's a big help…unlike a certain little boy who got into the frosting yesterday."

I shoulda' seen that coming. My cheeks reddening, I shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry, Mom," I apologized, rubbing the back of my neck while Mom just shook her head. Okay, okay, I only had myself to blame for that little ordeal, but at least it wasn't the end of the world. We got more frosting! No biggie.

Though, a little voice inside me claimed my innocent frosting thieving didn't boost Mom's confidence in me handling Misty's party in a mature fashion. I'd better behave myself, shouldn't I? "So…would you like some help, Mom?" Maybe if I got on Mom's good side, she'd let me lick the mixing bowl or taste-test something. After all, we have to make sure Misty's cake tastes good, right? Hehe.

I asked a simple, perfectly legit question to Mom. "Why thank you, honey." Yet, somehow…she saw right through my so-called innocence. "But that's still not gonna' get you any extra treats." Yup, Mom hit the nail on the head. My smile sinking, Mom sent me a teasing smirk before turning around to return to the kitchen. "You already have more than enough sugar in you, Ash."

Jeez, how transparent am I? How is it that mothers can always sense kids' ulterior motives? It's like EXP or something! Er…_ESP_, I mean. Whatever the case, I hate it when Mom sees right through me. "Damn it!" I hissed under my breath.

Of course…when I realized I just cussed _out loud_…a hand slapped against my mouth. Sadly, the hand was two seconds too late from Mom overhearing. The second I saw her eyes glare over her shoulder, I wanted to hide under the sofa. Moms always have that piercing glare that cuts like a knife into their guilty-as-charged children.

"_What _was that I just heard, Ash Ketchum?" Mom strictly demanded, making me cringe by the killer look in her eye. Man, I've _gotta_' work on thinking before opening my big mouth!

Aside her rhetorical question, I knew Mom heard me, otherwise she wouldn't be looking at me with that evil glare. Mom doesn't like, nor does she tolerate, a potty mouth. Yup, I was in trouble, and yet somehow I stupidly attempted to wiggle myself free. "Um…nothing." Yeah right, as if Mom would believe that. It didn't matter if I put on the most repentantly pitiful expression on my face. Bat one's eyes, look adorable…it doesn't crack Mom's shell. Still, you can't blame me for trying.

"You just lost your dessert privilege for tonight, mister," Mom concluded matter-of-factly, before disappearing back into the kitchen. Pikachu remained near me, noticing my mouth drop open over my punishment. I suppose there were worse punishments than a lost dessert, but…of all meals, why'd she take away _dessert_? Isn't that a little extreme?

"Ouch," I heard Max chuckle back on the sofa. I immediately spun around, noticing Brock and May also looked amused by my not-so-mature scene. Grinning wildly, know-it-all Max teased, "Man, your mom knows your weak spots, doesn't she?" Naturally, he was also referring to Mom's phone call sob story from earlier. I'm _not_ soft, dammit! "Losing dessert is a bull's-eye right to the heart, eh?" Max teased, dramatically placing hands over his heart to mimic a wounded man.

"Very true, little bro," May nodded in agreement, the coordinator inviting herself into Max' act at my expense. Scooting Munchlax into one arm, the brunette then played along with Max' game. "Though Mrs. Ketchum took away _dessert_, so the bull's-eye probably better smarts _here_," she corrected, purposely trailing a hand from her heart down to her stomach.

"_Very _true, May," Max agreed, for once admitting he stood corrected…again, at my expense. "I once heard a Munchlax' belly _is _his heart."

And then came the group's laughter, because we all know everybody's favorite game is "Let's Pick On Ash." Some things never change. Rolling my eyes, I sauntered back to the coffee table, waiting for Brock and the others to finish their hysterics. Even Pikachu and Munchlax were laughing! Figures. Once again sitting on the floor, I folded my arms and kept silent. Too bad I couldn't have kept my mouth shut earlier.

Somehow, Max' last comment encouraged my eyes to fall on the giggly Munchlax by May's lap. Smirking sarcastically, I noted, "You know, you guys shouldn't say those things in front of poor Munchlax."

"I wasn't talking about _that _Munchlax," added Max, before he, May, and Brock started rolling in laughter. I was waiting for Max or Brock to fall off the sofa, and for May to accidently kick Munchlax. My friends take a little 'too' much pleasure out of my embarrassment, don't they?

Shaking my head, I just rolled my eyes. Any other defense would probably get turned against me. "Hilarious, Max," I huffed. "Gimmie a break; I'm not like a Munchlax."

"Ash, honey? Can you come in the kitchen for a second?

Er, okay, so I did not support my "not a Munchlax" argument when I immediately bolted into the kitchen. My high hopes were that Mom might have second thoughts about the "no dessert" thing. Entering the kitchen in under two seconds flat, I beamed with hopefulness.

"Yeah, Mom?" And boy, the kitchen smelt great; the aroma of chocolate and sugar as mesmerizing as a bakery. Maybe if I tried reeeallly hard, Mom would let me at least taste test the new tube of frosting. After all, it's important to make sure food is fresh.

However, reality sank in the moment Mom turned to me. The first thing I noticed was that she no longer held the mixing bowl in her hands. This time around, Mom's hands held a stack of what looked like small papers. Envelopes? "What's that?" I asked curiously, my enthusiasm changing to curiosity as I approached her.

"That's what I was about to ask you," Mom answered with a shrug, filing through a couple of white envelopes. Funny, those envelopes looked familiar… "These aren't invitations to Misty's party, are they?"

I nearly keeled over when Mom asked me that. Then it finally dawned on me that I might have worse troubles than lost dessert. "WHAT?" I exclaimed, grabbing the papers to see them for myself. Unbelievably, Mom was right. There they were, Misty's colorful invitations, decorated with a Dragonair border around a colorful "You're Invited!" logo on the card's front. I could not believe it. "Oh God..."

"If Misty's party is in three days, why haven't these invitations been sent out?" Mom asked. I was wondering the exact same thing, blinking and trying to absorb a horrific realization. Max was supposed to have mailed the invitations last week-

"MAX!" I blasted, nearly giving Mom a heart attack before I dashed out the kitchen. Invitations in hand, I nearly collided with the back of my couch…which was the only thing standing between me and the littlest member of our group. The cards and envelopes practically in Max' glasses, I blasted, "I told you to mail these LAST WEEK!"

Max blinked, looking pretty surprised, himself, though nowhere near as appalled as I felt. "I did mail them, Ash!"

"Then why am I holding them _in my hands_, Max?" I nearly screamed, waving the invitations like a madman in front of the boy's cringing face. "Misty's gonna' be here in THREE days! There's no way these invitations will get out in time!" Sure, Tracey would get it in time...he lived down the street! Everyone else, on the other hand... "Thank God I talked to Casey and the others last night! Otherwise, they would've never known without the Goddamn invitations-!"

"_Ash_!" Now I was the one cringing when I heard Mom yell from the kitchen: "Watch your language!" There goes tomorrow night's dessert! At this rate, I'll be lucky to have sweets at Misty's party three days from now.

"If they already know about the party, what's the big deal about the invitations?" Max asked, sweatdropping as I glared viciously at him.

"You're lucky I called them to double-check the RSVP!" I yelled, chucking the papers at him and making the boy shrink back into the sofa. "If I hadn't called them, they would've never known thanks to you!"

"But I _did _mail the invitations, Ash!" Max insisted, cringing even more as I snarled. Like I was going to believe that! It was pretty obvious Max enjoyed seeing me make a fool of myself during these birthday fiascos. "Honest!"

"Then explain to me why the invitations are _right here_?" I screamed, pointing at the invitations scattered across Max' lap. Huffing like a Tauros and fit to be tide, I couldn't stop myself from ranting. But…wasn't my tirade a tiny bit justifiable? "I know you think it's funny when I screw up birthday parties, Max, but I don't need your smartass-"

"ASHTON!" I winced again at Mom's roar, much louder than last time. There went night three's dessert. Yeah, my tirade might've been justifiable, but it was digging my grave, too. If I weren't careful, Mom might ensure that there wouldn't be _any_ birthday party on March 20th. That was not a price I was willing to pay.

The next sensible option was me calming down. Frustrated beyond belief, I buried my face into my hands. The saving grace was that Casey and the others already knew about the party, one way or another. However, this invitation mix-up was leading me to wonder what 'other' party plans got botched without me realizing it.

"But Ash, I swear I mailed those cards!" Max insisted desperately. "May was with me, too, remember?" he asked his big sister, him and I both turning towards May. Naturally, the girl sweatdropped at how her little brother passed the blame to someone else.

"Yeah, I was there..." started May, swallowing nervously at my murderous glare. I was about to wring _someone_'s neck. I already had a horrible habit of messing up Misty's birthday parties. I did not need people _instigating _my misfortunes, let alone the instigators being my own friends! "...And those invitations _were _mailed. I saw it with my own eyes!"

I growled loudly, running a hand through my black hair. My hands were seconds away from ripping my locks from their roots. "Then why the he-" I caught myself that time, for once. Correcting myself, I took a much-needed breath. "Then why are the invitations _right here_? Clearly you can see _this_ 'with your own eyes'!"

May and Max exchanged looks. I was honestly expecting one of them, namely Max, to crack a smile and burst into laughter, admitting it was some sick joke. I was not amused. I was pissed!

"Ash, I don't know what they're doing here," May admitted, sounding rather truthful as she picked up one of the invitations. I've gotta' admit that May looked honest enough to look like she herself could not believe this moment. Her blue eyes blinked several times, attempting to process the un-mailed cards and find (or make up) a reasonable explanation. "Max and I kinda' mailed them late due to that 'Missy' misprint and having to send back the first batch. But we _did_ mail the new cards…unless…" she trailed, before blinking and gasping as if a light bulb clicked. "Wait! I know what's going on!"

"Yeah, I know what's going on, too," I snarled angrily. "My so-called friends are sabotaging-"

"No, _seriously_, Ash!" May insisted, trying to get through to me. "These invitations are…"

"…They're the invitations you and your smart-aleck brother said you'd handle, which you obviously _didn't_!" I finished for May. True, I wanted to believe my friends were innocent, but the pile of cards scattered across the sofa proved otherwise. Rubbing my head, feeling a sudden headache form, I shook my head in disbelief. "You two didn't even put the cards in _envelopes_! Urgh! I can't believe this!"

"Pika!" Pikachu tried to call me, but I wasn't in the listening mood at the moment.

For once in his life, Max was not grinning or looking the least bit sarcastic. "But Ash-!"

"Uh, guys? I might have an idea of what's going on."

The three of us blinked, turning to Brock who sat at the other end of the couch. In his hand was one of the cards I flung at Max. Turning one invitation around to us, the teenager opened it up, the three of us gasping at what was inside the fold.

Nothing.

There was absolutely nothing inside the cards!

"You guys didn't even write the inscriptions!" I almost screamed again, though my pitch still caused May and Max to shudder. When I gave May and Max the job of writing and sending the invitations, I intended on them actually doing the job! "God! You couldn't even do _that-_!"

"Ash, easy! _Easy_!" I heard Brock suddenly say, getting up and placing a hand on my shoulder as I almost started hyperventilating. His other hand held the empty card, while Brock's face actually had a smile on his face! A smile? I didn't find this funny!

But to Brock's credit, the smile was not crude whatsoever. In fact, it was just the opposite. "Ash, don't you see?" he asked gently, somewhat reassuringly. "These are the _extra _invitations! The overflow cards May and Max didn't use!"

I blinked, desperately needing a double take. "E-_extra_?"

Finally able to speak, May and Max nodded affirmatively. "That's what we've been trying to tell you, Ash!" the sister explained. "Max and I left the extras on the kitchen table after we wrote up the other cards."

"See?" Brock smiled, before patting my stunned shoulder. "Crisis averted, man."

_Extra...overflow cards..._some of the most beautiful words I heard at the moment. Sighing in heavy relief, I hung my head. May and Max were not lying after all. The invitations were mailed after all. 'Crisis averted' is right. "Thank God."

"But like I said, we mailed them a little late," I heard May admit again. "But I'm sure they've gotten the invitations by _now_. Besides, you already called to double-check their arrivals, too. One way or another, they're bound to know about Misty's party."

Taking deep breaths, I started thanking the Pokemon gods that the party was not a disaster...yet.

Of course, I knew what happened next was inevitable. "Jeez, Ash," Max giggled, though his tone was anything but sarcastic this time. May and Brock's snickers were also the same tone; light, and maybe a little unspoken understanding. "Chill out."

I knew I was at fault for yelling at them. My outburst was uncalled for, but, "Easier said than done, Max," I admitted. Leaning down, I rested my forehead on the back of the sofa. Slowly but surely, my heartbeat regained a normal rhythm. Misty's party was not for another three days, and I was already having heart failure! "Sorry for blowing up on you guys like that."

May and Max giggled softly. "That's okay, Ash," I heard May say, feeling what had to have been her hand gently rub my back. "I guess we can't blame you."

"Still..." Max added. "...You really should take a chill pill, or you'll be a wreck come Misty's party."

I chuckled, looking up and grinning at the smirking boy. "Don't I know it, Max."

"There's no reason to be uptight, Ash," Brock reassured me, and I know I heard Pikachu add an encouraging "Chu!" too.

"I know, but..." I confessed, straightening up via a small stretch. Another umpteenth exhale followed as my attempt to calm down after a near breakdown over stupid invitations. "I really want this party to work out. I owe it to Misty."

The others smiled understandingly. A while ago, I had already voiced my reasons for Misty's Pallet party, and my friends had given me their full support. Really, it was pretty dumb of me to consider the possibility of Brock, Max, or May "sabotaging" this party. But…like my friends implied, I was getting paranoid. I really, reeeally wanted this birthday party to be perfect. Misty was special, and yet I never felt she got the credit she deserved.

"The party will work out, Ash," May spoke confidently, patting my shoulder. Afterwards, her arms wrapped around Munchlax' midsection to keep the squirming Pokemon on a tight leash. "Cheer up!

"Now, how about we get the rest of the party favors?" suggested the brunette, changing the subject with a bright smile. "We still need to get chips, dip, and other munchies," May recalled, noticing Munchlax bounce up and down in excitement. "Not for _you_!" she scolded, one hand pulling out her Pokeblock case. Stuffing a Pink Surprise into Munchlax' mouth, at least the happy Pokemon was appeased…for the time being. Sighing, the coordinator's head shook over her green little bottomless pit. "I'm gonna' need more Pokeblock ingredients, too. Otherwise, Munchlax will eat everything before Misty shows up."

"Yeah," Max agreed, kneeling on the sofa so he'd be near eye level with me. His notorious grin resurfacing, the boy jabbed my stomach. "And we've already got _enough _Munchlaxes to worry about," he insinuated, yelping slightly when I playfully shoved him.

"Well then, why don't we get going?" Brock declared, enthusiastically rubbing his hands together. "We can grab some lunch while we're out. I'm sure Mrs. Ketchum would appreciate not having to cook lunch in between preparing Misty's cake. While we're at it, we can pick up a few last minute presents, too."

Noticing Brock's odd offer, I blinked curiously before raising an eyebrow at him. "'Last minute presents'? I thought you already got Misty's present."

Brock smirked, pulling out a small pen and paper from his pocket. "Oh I did, but I never said the last minute presents were for _Misty_," he corrected, muttering the name 'Trinity' as he scribbled something on the paper…

"Oh no you don't!" Max beat Brock to the punch line. Two seconds later, the notepad went sailing across the coffee table, and Brock got his daily ear-pull. "This is _Misty_'s party, remember? It's not your chance to hook up with girls, Brock!"

"_Maaaax_!" the tormented Brock whined, reverting back to girl-crazy mode. Yup, Brock hasn't changed over the past year, either. "Have you seen Trinity? She's _gorgeous_!"

"Which is why I'm gonna' make sure you're kept in your cage come the party!" No doubt, Max would be chaperoning Brock all night. "We've already got enough worries on our hands. We don't need Trinity or the other girls pressing charges! Plus, I don't advise you to hit on girls at _Misty_'s party...unless you have a death wish..."

"Aww _come'on_, Max! Gimmie a break!"

While Max and Brock argued, May marched Munchlax upstairs where the other (smaller) Pokemon relaxed in my room. Pikachu had no trouble keeping an eye on Munchlax, either, since the mouse wasn't very shopping-savvy. Frankly, neither am I, but I was happy to feel excited again regarding Misty's party. It really was an adventure preparing this year's birthday party.

But maybe I was taking things a little 'too' seriously. I really didn't want to have a heart attack on Misty's birthday. I was paranoid over the party's perfection. Plus, let's not forget that, lately, Misty's presence has this weird effect on me. Everything gets warm and weird and awkward and…this is one of those "growing up" things, isn't it? Terrific! As if I don't already have enough concerns on my mind.

After Brock regained his senses (thanks to Max), I told Mom our plans. She was actually grateful for the lunch-cooking reprieve, though she didn't let me leave the kitchen without another "language" lecture. Yeah…I've gotta' work on that, too. Add it to my to-do list.

Above all, the top of my to-do list was to tie the loose ends for Misty's party. We still had to decorate my house, and while we had snacks, there was not enough (yet) for all the guests. There was still much to be done in three days. But I figured everything was worth it. If I could make Misty happier this year than she was last year...it would all be worth it!

Misty is worth it.

**To Be Continued...**

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><p><strong>AN**: I simply couldn't resist adding the lovable Delia Ketchum into this sequel. What Pallet Town fic would be complete without her? *^.^*

FYI: Okay, here's a refresher for those who may not remember some of Misty's extra guests. I'm sure we all remember Casey the Electabuzz baseball team fan. Sakura is the pigtailed Ecruteak teahouse girl with the Espeon (both her and Casey had cameos in Pokemon Chronicles). Trinity was the Gyarados trainer who won the Whirl Island Competition (she kinda' struck me as an idol in Misty's eyes). Last but not least, Marina is from way back in the Orange Island episode "Bye Bye Psyduck," who was practically Misty's twin when it came to their Water Pokemon obsessions. (BTW, this story's "Marina" is not to be mistaken with the Marina from "Raikou, the Legend of Thunder" special with Jimmy/Kenta. Two different Marinas. Damn the dub's indecisive English names! They should stick with the original Japanese names. So much easier). I'm sure most Pokemon fans remember these characters, but after the hundredth Tom, Dick, and Harry our cast meets over the years, it's understandable to forget filter characters. That's what friendly reminders are for. ^_^

I hope you enjoyed Ch.2. What's in store for Ch.3? More cameos, more Pallet Town goodness, and oodles more Ashyness. See you next week!


	3. The Uninvited Ones

**COPYRIGHT NOTE**: I don't own _Pokemon / Pocket Monsters_, or the song "It's My Party (and I'll Cry If I Want To)," performed by Lesley Gore.

**COMMENTS**: Kinda' long chapter, but I really enjoyed writing this particular episode. ^_^ Lots of nostalgia, guest appearances, and other Pallet goodies ahead. Oh, and just a friendly reminder: this chapter's narration occasionally swaps from third-person (side-scenes Ash is unaware of) and first-person (Ash's POV). And once again, all birthdays mentioned in this series are 100% fictional. Onward!

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><p><strong>It's Her Party, and I'm In Big Trouble Again<strong>

_Aiselne Phoenix_

**Ch.3: "The Uninvited Ones"**

"**W**ell, well, well…I see it's the redhead twerpette's birthday again."

Red-painted lips curled mischievously as Jessie's sapphire eyes gazed through an ajar window. To be expected, she and her Team Rocket cohorts hid themselves in the bushes surrounding the Ketchum residence. Through the living room window's drapes, Jessie could see the party favors scattered throughout the parlor. Remembering the fiasco in Petalburg City last March, Jessie more than easily knew whose birthday was fast approaching. Crouching below the window's bottom, the woman turned to the vigilant James and Meowth. "And it looks like the twerp's throwing her another party, after all. Tck! That clueless kid never learns his lessons, does he?"

"Heh, I say we royally mess up dis' new party!" Meowth cheered in excitement, punching a furry fist into the air. "Afta' dat' Petalboirg party, da' twoip desoirves humiliation! Rememba' last year? Da' boss wasn't too happy ta hear we missed out on all those party Pokemon."

"Don't remind me," Jessie grumbled darkly. Then again, she wondered why Giovanni made such a damn fuss about the trio's failures, anyway. After all, failure was not exactly new for Jessie, James, and Meowth. "I wasn't too happy about missing that big bonus, either, but now it's payback time!" she reassured, balling a determined fist.

"But Jessie..." came the obligatory conscience of James, coercing his teammates to roll their eyes and groan in irritation. "...Give the twerp a break. He was pissed the last time we interrupted the twerpette's birthday party, and…I really can't blame him." Trailing, the violet-haired Rocket gazed sadly up into the blue sky. True, James could not stand the twerp, but, "He worked so hard on that party..."

"Oh cry me a river!" Jessie snapped, smacking the yelping James' shoulder to shut him up. The redhead could care less about the twerp's failures, since Jessie knew all about such. Frankly, she was sick and tired of her team always failing, while the twerps rarely tasted defeat. It was so unfair, and the woman felt it was high time the tables were turned. So what if one of the twerps' birthdays was approaching? Jessie lived an entire childhood of crappy birthdays, and she sucked it up. It would not kill the twerps to taste disappointment once in a while. "You heard those twerps, James. They're inviting a bunch of friends this time, and you know what that means."

Meowth took Jessie's devilish smirk as his cue to leap onto her shoulder. "Dere'll be TONS of Pokemon!" the cat gushed, particularly recalling the names of extra guests Ash mentioned. The girl who constantly sang that Electabuzz theme song was irritating, but she boasted a pretty impressive Meganium. Then there was the teenager who trained a bunch of Water Pokemon a la Misty, not to mention the visiting teahouse girl with the Espeon. "And didn't dey' say dat' Trinity woman was comin'?"

Jessie and James blinked, exchanging looks. Their memories hazier than Meowth's, the humans asked in unison, "Who's Trinity?"

For a second, Meowth shook his head, pitying how human attention spans sucked compared to Pokemon. "She's da' winna' of dat Whoirl Island competition, you knuckleheads! Rememba'? Dere' was a huge celebration honoring her victory, and she was top in da' news for a week afta' da competition ended!" It was rather difficult not to have noticed. Winners of Pokemon championships, ranging from the Leagues to the smaller competitions, were always well commemorated. No wonder almost every Tom, Dick, and Harry wanted to become a Pokemon Master. Instant celebrity!

Light bulbs clicked and memories jarred for Jessie and James. "_Ooooh_! She's that super-powerful Gyarados trainer!" gushed James, suddenly shifting out of conscience mode. True, he was not thrilled to botch a kid's birthday, but the thought of having Trinity's Pokemon being presented to the boss was a little too good to pass up. Giovanni would flip in his seat if James' crew gave him championship-quality Pokemon. James could already hear the "ka-ching" of his team's biggest promotion! "Trinity is bound to have tons of other rare and powerful Water Pokemon!" the green-eyed man noted in glee. "And if we get her Pokemon, along with Pikachu and all the others..."

"Now ya' speakin' my language, Jimmy!" Meowth cheered, slapping James a high-five. "The boss'll be thrilled with dis new boirthday haul! Imagine if it were Giovanni's _own _boirthday!"

"'Own birthday'?" Jessie raised an eyebrow, pondering, "When _is _the boss' birthday, anyway?"

"Who cares!" Meowth interrupted incredulously. "Wit' dis' Pokemon haul, _everyday_ will feel like a boirthday! Imagine da' boss one day, bored with his life, feelin' old with each passin' boirthday. Now ova' da' hill, da' boss will be down in da' dumps, unable to woirk and be his happy bossy self.

"But den', he'll look out his window, and see the Pokemon we got from da' twoirpette's boirthday, each one smilin' and givin' da boss his _own _boirthday party! He'll be so happy, ya' know what da' boss'll say? 'How thoughtful of Meowth and his friends for givin' me da' happiest boirthday eva'! I should reward dem' with da' happiest _raise _eva'!' And den'...

"Promotions! Expense accounts!" the Rocket trio cheered and clapped giddily. "Go us! It's _our _birthday!"

"Woooobu!" Wobbuffet popped out and chimed with a notorious salute.

"Then it's settled!" Jessie said with a determined clap as she gazed back into the Ketchum house. The twerps had already left to go shopping, meaning now was the perfect opportunity for Jessie's crew to make their move. Naturally, the gears in the redhead's mind were already concocting another self-proclaimed "brilliant" idea. "We're gonna' snatch that Pikachu, plus all the other Pokemon coming to the twerpette's party!"

"So what's the plan, Jess?" James asked curiously, inching closer.

Jessie snickered devilishly, flashing the victory sign. "I've got a brilliant idea that'll get tons of Pokemon, completely humiliate that twerp, and we'll have a blast doing it!"

The woman's teammates sweatdropped. "We, uh...always have a 'blast,' one way or another," James muttered to a nodding Meowth.

After smacking the idiocy out of her partners, Jessie retorted sharply, "That's not what I'm talking about!" Thereafter, she folded her arms over her chest, nodding assertively as a nefarious grin split her face. "My plan's flawless, and we'll have 'fun' doing it, too."

Sure, Jessie's idea sounded great, but it also sounded a little too good to be true. Then again, most of Jessie's plans always fell into this category. Raising an eyebrow, the Rocket cat dared to ask, "How'd ya figure, Jess?"

Giggling, Jessie cued James and Meowth to follow her lead. Raising an index finger, the redhead began relaying her brilliant strategy. "First, we need those extra invitations. To do that, we need to get inside the house. Now's the perfect time to do so, since the twerps just left."

"Yeah, but the twerp's mother is still inside," recalled James.

Of course, Jessie was unfazed. Ash's happy-peppy mommy was the least of the red-haired Rocket's worries. "So what? We've fooled her before, and we can fool her again. Mama Twerp is just as dippy as her son! Now let's hurry back to the balloon, disguise ourselves, and get into this house before the twerp quartet comes back."

Their plan of action made, the gang sprang into action. Jessie, James, and Meowth's hot air balloon was parked in a small forest clearing nearby the Ketchum house. Inside the balloon's basket were the perfect disguises that would effortlessly fool Mrs. Ketchum. Frankly, Jessie had a very good feeling about her latest plan. Last year's birthday party in Petalburg City ended in Team Twerp's favor, but this year would be different! Once the party invitations were in Team Rocket's hands, Jessie knew the rest of her plan would unfold as fluidly as water.

One thing was certain; the twerp was pretty confident about this year's party. For once in her life, Jessie agreed with Ash. The grinning girl had a good feeling about this year's birthday party, too. A _very_ good feeling.

* * *

><p>With full grocery bags in our arms, May, Max, Brock, and I exited the busy grocery store. Finally, we were fully stocked on fresh food and snacks for the party, and May got four days worth of Pink Surprise ingredients for Munchlax. The shopping was completed by lunchtime, and all four of us decided to grab a quick bite to eat before returning home. No complaints here! I like burgers, though fast food burgers don't hold candles to Professor Oak's…<p>

"_Soo_...what's this I hear about a party at your house, and _I'm _not invited, Ashy Boy?"

…Speaking of Oak – well, not 'Professor' Oak – but speaking of 'another' Oak…

My luck never ceases to amaze me. My timing is imperial, er, impeccable. Of all the fast food restaurants my friends and I chose, we had to pick the place my wonderful childhood rival just-so-happened to be visiting. Terrific.

Granted, Gary and I now get along much better than we did before the Silver Conference. But, what can I say? Gary Oak is still Gary Oak. Gary and me bugging each other is second nature in our relationship, kinda' like with Misty and me…minus my semi-boyfriend part. Last we spoke, Gary told me he happens to be the semi-boyfriend of a girl he and I grew up with. Way back in the day, the three of us gave each other goofy nicknames, and hers was "Green." Weird thing is, Gary still calls her that, though I think he uses it as a "pet" name, nowadays. Hey, it beats using nauseating nicknames like "smoochy," or "dumpling," or "babydoll," or…crap, I'm gonna' puke my burger if I keep thinking about this. Thank God Misty and I never bothered with pet names. She just calls me her "idiot," or "nimrod," or "bonehead," and so forth.

To me, Gary's more like a brother, the type of brother a boy somewhat admires (note the "somewhat," folks). In no way am I implying that Gary Oak is "better" than me! Ha! No way! I kicked his butt in the Johto League! Though, Gary kinda' kicked my butt once, twice…okay, he's beaten me a bunch of times! But the Silver Conference counts most, right? Yup, I thought so. Gary is also the type of brother who constantly annoys the living hell outta' his younger brother. I mean, so what if Gary's a few months older than me? People always seem to think that just because Gary is six months older, that makes him more mature and smarter than me. Psh, what do they know?

So, yes, Gary and I are on better terms. However, when he wants to be obnoxious, he _is_ obnoxious. I could tell just by the sarcastic tone in Gary's voice that today was one of those days. Wonderful. I suddenly lost my appetite. Setting down my half-eaten burger, I braced myself before turning around to see the cocky brunette. Same ol' Gary, with the same ol' cocky smirk. Argh, just the person I needed at the moment.

"What do you want, Gary?" I dared to ask, not overly in the mood to be juggling Misty's party plans and Gary's obnoxiousness at once. My friends decided to stay quiet and ignore Gary, which was probably the smarter choice to make, wasn't it?

Naturally, Gary was never fazed by my unenthusiastic remark. Shrugging, he leaned against the back of a vacant booth, casually folding his arms. "I'm just curious about whatever this party is. Grandpa said you're having some shindig at your place in a few days."

Oh, and one other thing about Gary: he's _nosy_. Bah, and Mom says I'm a nosy kid. Gary's worse! "It's a birthday party," I replied matter-of-factly, as if it was any of Gary's business. But the sooner this conversation ended, the better.

Too bad for me, things rarely get "better" during this hectic time of year. Nosy as always, Gary just rose an eyebrow and continued to egg on. "Oh? Your birthday's not for a few months, and I coulda' sworn Grandpa once said something about your mom's birthday being in December." Then came the famous (or _in_famous) Gary Oak smirk, pulling his lips as he added a suggestive, "But _my_ birthday was last month…"

"As if I'd throw _you _a birthday party, Gary," I snorted sarcastically, rolling my eyes. I barely had time to squeeze Misty's birthday party into my training schedule, never mind _Gary_'s birthday! Besides, even if I did throw Gary a birthday party, I wouldn't throw the party a month after his birthday! How dumb does this guy think I am? And what was the deal with his comment about my birthday? Why the hell would I throw _myself_ a birthday party? That's something Gary might do, not me. I'm not _that_ arrogant! Urgh, I was already feeling a headache coming on, which was undoubtedly Gary's intent. Shaking my said head, I sighed before confirming a blunt, "The party's for Misty." As if that was any of Gary's business, either.

"'Misty'?" my rival asked, obviously trying to put the name with a mental picture. When the light bulb clicked, Gary then plastered an even bigger grin across his face. "Oh right, right…your _girlfriend_."

Everybody else at my table snorted or choked on whatever they were eating, stifling laughs as I blushed. Yes, Misty and I were semi-boyfriend and semi-girlfriend, but nowhere near close enough to really be deemed "full-fledged" boyfriend and girlfriend. Furthermore, and most importantly, that was none of Gary's damn business! So what if he told me about Green? He's the one who advertised and bragged about his new relationship. I never pried the information out of him. I mean, why _would_ I want to know about Gary's girlfriend, and about how they date and do all that icky kissy-kissy stuff? Eew. Frankly, Gary's personal life is Gary's business, and my personal life is my business! Strangely, Gary doesn't seem to understand this concept. He thinks if he tells me about his relationships, that means I have to tell him about my relationships. "I'll show you mine, you show me yours." Er, well…maybe that wasn't the best adage example, but you know what I mean…right?

The restaurant suddenly feeling warm, I did the best I could to counter Gary's remark – which was not very much. "Shut up, Gary," I grumbled, knowing I did not look very threatening with my face covered in blush. Changing the subject was probably my best bet. "What're you doing in Pallet, anyway? Shouldn't you be traveling or working?"

"I could ask the same to you, _Slakoth_," he smugly countered, sending another jolt of anger through my veins. How is it that Gary always gets two steps ahead of me? "Me? I've been in Pallet since last month, came' home for my birthday and all. Plus, Grandpa, Tracey, and I have been researching the Pokemon on his ranch. Pre-spring an important time of year, after all, and a busy season for Pokemon…" he paused, winking. "…If you know what I mean."

I blinked for a second…well, two seconds, actually. Okay, help me out here: what's so special about Pokemon and springtime? Is this a peak season for evolution or something? I never thought seasons mattered, but if Umbreon and Espeon evolutions can change based on the time of day, I suppose season-based evolution isn't out of the question. Shrugging, I decided to grab my burger to take another bite. Actually, this idea of season-based evolution sounded pretty fun. Maybe I should send Pikachu and the rest of my Pokemon to join the festivities at the Professor's ranch.

My friends seemed to like the idea, too, especially May. In a very high-pitched squeal, the brunette clapped her hands over her chest and gushed like a schoolgirl. "_Aaaw_! How sweeet! All the Pokemon eggs hatch, babies are born…ooh, spring is like the happy ending for the Pokemon mating season!"

However in God's name I managed to keep my burger in my stomach was beyond my comprehension. MATING SEASON? Jeez, May, I'm eating here! Okay, scratch that: I'm not sending Pikachu to join the Professor's festivities. That's just…eew! If I can't picture myself doing…_that_…I sure as hell can't picture my Pokemon doing it, either! Pikachu wouldn't do those types of things anyway…right? I mean, maybe Pikachu would like to meet another Pikachu, someday, and maybe have Pichu, someday…_maybe_…eew…EEW…bad mental pictures! I don't wanna' think about my Pokemon like that! Make it stop! _Please_!

For once in his life, when Gary opened his mouth he actually happened to 'help' me get my mind off unwanted topics. "So, how come I wasn't invited to your party, Ash?" he asked in an innocent, fake-hurt voice.

Regaining myself, I put on a weird face and did a double take. "Why _would _I invite you?" I countered rather incredulously, as if Gary just asked me if Pikachu had been – um, what was the phrase Professor Oak used again? – "sprayed or nude-ered"? (Do I even want to know what _that_'s about? Er, please don't answer that question!). "Gimmie a break, Gary. You didn't even realize who Misty was when I first mentioned her. You don't know her, so why would you be invited to her birthday party?"

Not seeming to think my words were excuses, Gary simply declared, "But the party's at your house."

SO? "And what?" I huffed a snort. "My house has a huge sign saying you're welcomed to barge in whenever you feel like it?"

"You're one to talk, considering you and your mom are always visiting my grandpa."

"Yeah…we visit his lab and ranch, not your 'house'."

"You were always over my house when we were kids."

"You were always over my house, too," I retorted, starting to feel my short patience begin to thin. "And why are you so interested in this party, anyway?" I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. "The party's for Misty, not me! Go ahead and terrorize my next birthday, but leave Misty alone!"

Gary actually looked a little hurt by that last remark (though I must stress the word "little"). "I'm not gonna' 'terrorize' her party, Ash," defended Gary, before casually folding his hands behind his spiky head. "I just figured it'd be a fun get-together, just like the good old days."

Good old days?

Yeah right.

Just so you know, when Gary says "just like the good old days," he's referring to the countless times he turned my birthdays into living hells. Now, I'm well aware I jinx my own parties and I've gotten myself into my own messes. However, Gary's never helped the situations, either. But, well, I did say Gary was "a story for another time," and I suppose now is as good a time as any. So here's my tale of woe:

Minus the Misty fiascos, the last party I had in Pallet Town was my ninth birthday. Actually, age nine is a pretty big deal for Pokemon trainers and their families, being that it's the last year before kids set out on their journeys.

By then, Gary and I had already been rivals for a while. We were constantly at each other's throats in anticipation for when we would finally get our licenses. Mark my words, the only reason Gary showed up at my party was because Mom made me invite him. She was living under false hopes that she could patch up the friendship between Gary and me. Unfortunately by age nine, Gary and I were too far gone for a simple birthday party to make amends. Furthermore, Gary (or more specifically, Mrs. Oak) invited me to his ninth birthday in February of that year. There are downfalls to being younger, even slightly younger, than your rival. Mom felt obligated to invite Gary to my birthday a few months later. "It was only fair," or so Mom told me to justify her reasons for inviting my rival to my party. Of course, Mom had no idea about what Gary did to me on his ninth birthday on that terrible February…

To make a long story short, Gary's ninth birthday party was a nightmare. He kept rubbing it in my face how _he _was going to be a Pokemon Master. Okay, okay, I'm no angel, and yes, I didn't help matters by countering Gary's arrogance with my own. Every other word out of our mouths was, "_I'm_ gonna' be the best!" and "_I'm_ gonna' beat you!" We were both pretty full of ourselves. I know should've ignored Gary, but I didn't. Big surprise, right? Needless to say, Gary and I got into a huge argument. Come the era of Gary's ninth birthday, our rivalry had peaked to dangerous levels. Spitting insults at each other wasn't enough anymore.

That's when…somehow, someway, from somewhere…_somebody_ threw food.

I swear to every Pokemon god, I don't know "who" threw the piece of birthday cake. Honest! Gary and I were too wrapped up in our insult war to notice anything else at the time. Hell, I don't even know if _Gary_ threw the food, or if some other kid did it. Gary invited all the boys from our neighborhood, his older sister invited a few of her girlfriends, and Gary's parents and grandfather invited friends, too. So, there was a pretty big crowd at the Oaks' house. But regardless of who was to blame, a food fight inevitably ensued. You can imagine what happened afterwards.

Naturally, the "birthday boy" was exempt from blame. After all, nobody saw Gary throw the food, and nobody was going to blame him on his special day. Unfortunately, since nobody else owned up to initially starting the fight, _I_ was the one who was blamed. There was no proof that I threw the food, either. But all the other boys insisted I "_must_" have started the food fight, since I was originally bickering with Gary.

Again, all honesty, I don't remember if I was the instigator. Mom knows I've never been the type of kid to play with food (why play with food when it's more fun to eat it?). But, Gary and I did come dangerously close to throwing fists, so the possibility of food getting into those fists wasn't out of the question. But if I did make the first move, the food-throwing would've been totally unintentional. Everything about our fight was so chaotic that neither Gary nor I knew what we were doing until it was too late. Nevertheless, I denied the accusations, and guess what? _Nobody_ believed me.

Then again, getting falsely (or potentially falsely) accused of instigating the fight was only the tip of the iceberg. When Mom found out what I did…oh God, hell broke loose all over again. Not only did I have to clean up the mess, but I was also grounded for the next three weeks. And to top it all off: I even had to apologize to Gary! I mean, how much more humiliating is that? There I was getting blamed for something I (probably) didn't do, and I was also crawling back to Gary with my tail between my legs! But did things become A-okay once I apologized? Of course not! Even after the apology, the birthday bastard simply pointed and laughed in my face. The other boys sided with Gary, too, and well...let's just say, I didn't leave the Oak's party with a smile on my face after getting ridiculed by half a dozen neighborhood "friends." I had never been so embarrassed. And here comes the cherry on top of this wonderful matter. After I came home crying like a baby, my pissed-off mother sent me to my room so I could think about what _I_ did to "poor Gary"!

And the REAL clincher was when I had to invite that jerk to _my _ninth party a few months later. I do not know how many times I screamed to my mom not to invite Gary, but she simply told me, "You owe it to Gary to invite him!" I did not owe him anything after what he did to me! All the other boys in the neighborhood practically put a stigma on me after Gary's party, making me yet again the laughing stock of Pallet Town. I refused to see why the hell I owed anything to Gary! Sadly, Mom did not see my logic, and sure enough, Gary Oak was there on my ninth party. Granted, that party wasn't as bad as Gary's. No fights ensued, and Gary and I barely talked or even looked at each other, but it was not the most comfortable of birthdays. I could not wait for the party to end.

So now…Gary wanted Misty's party to fall under his definition of "good old days." Hmph! My ass.

"You're _not _gonna' make Misty's party a re-run of 'the good old days,' Gary," I growled strictly. I was not about to let my old rival humiliate me again, and I was certainly not about to let him ruin Misty's special day. God only knew what Gary might try to do, and I did not want him to be the reason Misty's birthday was ruined. It was one thing for Gary to make my life miserable, but it was an entirely different story if Gary tired to make Misty miserable. I absolutely refused to allow that to happen.

"Who say's this party will be a 're-run'?" Gary asked casually, still pleading ignorant. "Come' on, Ash, do you honestly think I'd try and hurt your _girlfriend_'s feelings?"

There he went with the 'girlfriend' thing again, saying it in that snotty voice that was reeeally getting under my skin. I was still coming to terms with my relationship with Misty, and I totally hated the way Gary not-so-subtly poked fun at it. Balling my fists to maintain control, I grumbled again. "So you're gonna', what? Make me look like a complete ass again?"

I should've realized that line would come back to bite me in the said rear. "Ash, you don't need me around for you to look like a complete ass in front of your girlfriend!" snorted Gary.

Grinding my teeth, I did my best to keep my temper in check. When Gary's arrogance clashed with my anger, bad things happened. "In case you haven't noticed, Gary, you're _not _invited to Misty's party, so don't even bother showing up!"

"And what if I _do_?" Gary challenged, causing me to feel my stomach start to churn up my lunch thanks the unpleasant thought. "What're you gonna' do, Ash: kick me out? Chuck' some birthday cake at my face? Start _another _food fight? You'd be pretty damn stupid to do that at your own house. Though…I vaguely remember hearing about some other party of yours where there was cake and water all over the place…"

I heard Max poorly snort a snicker over Gary's rehash of the so-called "water-balloons-plus-cake-equals-one-hell-of-a-mess" fiasco from a few years back. Seriously, did Gary _want_ me to slug him? The guy was doing a fantastic job of provoking me, that was for sure. But the last thing I needed was to be grounded during Misty's party for wasting a swing on Gary, no matter how good it might feel.

"You're NOT invited, Gary. End of story!" I barked, finally locking my eyes with Gary's. I must've looked pretty peeved, because Gary's eyes blinked the moment they saw the annoyance in mine. Good! It's about time he got the message. "Go bug someone else for a change."

It took a minute, but Gary finally backed down. Carelessly shrugging with his eyes, my rival huffed a passive, "Whatever." Thereafter, he typically waved a hand to silently bid us farewell, not before adding a finishing line. "Say hi to your _girlfriend_ for me…and be sure not to screw up like you always do, Ashy Boy."

I was very, VERY close to belting that jerk, and the only saving grace at that moment was the fact that Gary left. Growling, I sunk deeper into my seat, trying to calm down after yet another 'enjoyable' encounter with Gary Oak. I could not figure that guy out! Some days, he was fine and nice to me. Other days, like today, he was a royal pain in the ass, just like the "good old days." Some things will never change, I guess.

"I take it your talent for messing up birthday parties exceeds just _Misty_'s parties," I heard Max suddenly chime in next to me. Bad idea, Max. Before I knew it, my elbow hit his side hard enough to almost knock the boy's glasses off his face.

"Shut up, Max," I snarled angrily, thereafter slamming my elbows against the table to bury my face into my palms. I had to calm down. Still, there was no reason for Gary to start any of that crap. Why he enjoyed irritating me, I would probably never know, but I gave up trying to understand Gary Oak years ago.

Fortunately, I think Max understood. "Hehe, sorry Ash," he apologized sincerely, therein causing me to return the apology for jabbing him. Yeah, I shouldn't have taken out my anger on him, or anyone for that matter. Max was just trying to lighten the mood, and it was not his fault that Gary chose today to be a jerk.

"Man, I'll never figure that guy out," Brock muttered, sipping his soda and shaking his head, practically reading my mind. Swallowing a gulp of coke, my oldest friend then added a confused, "I thought you guys settled that rivalry thing after the Johto League."

Sighing, I shrugged. "So did I, but Gary's always been unpredictable. Some days, he and I are practically friends again. Other days, like today…" I trailed, discreetly gritting my teeth for a second. My friends just filled in the blanks.

"Well, don't let it get you down, Ash," May replied cheerfully from across the table. "Don't forget, once Misty arrives, everything will turn out great. You'll see."

I'll admit, May's comment made me smile. I guess Misty was the silver lining whenever it came to these disastrous birthdays. But now, as I absently stared at my reflection in the metallic tabletop, another realization struck me. "Maybe, but now I'm worried Gary will show his face during Misty's party." Just imagining that jerk crashing Misty's party made my blood boil. "Dammit, I have enough things to worry about! I did not need Gary making matters worse."

"Don't worry," Brock reassured firmly. "We'll be on the lookout for him. If any of us see him coming, we'll kick him out before he causes trouble."

Well, that was a relief, but I didn't want my friends acting as Gary-look-outs the whole day. They deserved to see Misty just as much as me. It wasn't right for me to hog Misty to myself. "Thanks, but maybe it would be better if I took care of Gary myself."

"_Non_-violently?" Max asked, narrowing his hazel eyes knowingly. "I don't advise you giving him a bloody nose three days before Misty's party. Otherwise, there may not be any party, and if there is one, you sure won't be allowed to go."

As always, know-it-all Max was right. I was already on thin ice with Mom after this morning's potty mouth incidents. Mom wouldn't need much more of an incentive to ground me from joining Misty's party, which was a fate worse than death. I'd rather do chores for a month than miss Misty's special day! "I know, Max, but how else can I make sure Gary won't show up?"

"He may not show up, Ash," Brock wisely suggested. "Half the time, Gary says one thing and does another, just to piss you off. I really don't think you should let him get to you."

"Brock's right," May agreed wholeheartedly. She and her brother didn't know Gary very well, but I told them plenty of stories during our travels through Hoenn. Everybody knew Gary and I had a rocky relationship. "Gary's got no business to even be at Misty's party, anyway. There's no reason for him to show up…"

"…Other than tick me or Misty off…" I predicted sourly, groaning as my hand ran through my black hair. "You guys weren't there during his ninth birthday party. Someone instigated a food fight, and I got blamed."

To be expected, my friends blinked, exchanging obvious looks. "You..._you _didn't start it, though, did you?" May asked hesitantly.

My default answer would be, "Of course not!" But instead, I exhaled and shrugged. "I really don't know who started it, May," I admitted openly. "But I got the whole blame. If that was not bad enough, Gary made me a total laughing stock in front of almost every boy in the neighborhood. You do the math," and my friends silently did just that. "For all I know...Gary would probably love nothing better than to screw up Misty's party as payback."

"Oh _come' on_, Ash," Brock chuckled incredulously; obviously thinking I was starting to overreact and stretch the truth. Maybe I was, somewhat. "Gary can be immature, but do you really think he'd be stupid enough to avenge something that happened years ago?"

"Yeah!" Max wholeheartedly agreed. "If you got all the blame, then Gary already got his revenge."

"I know, I know, but…" I trailed, at a loss for words and shaking my head. "But when Gary wants to be a jerk, he does everything in his power to be one. Now I've got a sinking feeling he's gonna' pull something!"

"Then we'll make sure he doesn't, Ash," May almost promised. "Look, Gary would be really stupid to pull anything. We're all gonna' be there, and so is Tracey, who lives with Gary's family! I'm sure if Tracey told Professor Oak that Gary pulled any crap, the professor would believe Tracey above all else. It wouldn't be in Gary's best interest to instigate anything, especially if he thinks he can get away with it."

"But that's just it, May!" I retorted a bit too loudly than necessary. "Gary _does _think he can get away with things! He always has! He's so freakin' spoiled and he never takes the blame for what he does, and that's why he's such a brat…"

Um, yeah, now I know I was starting to exaggerate. Brock interrupted me again to point that out, too. "I think Gary's a _bit _more mature than that, Ash," he corrected, making me quickly sink back into my seat. "After raising ten little kids, trust me when I say that every kid has his or her moments. I'm sure Gary had his moments of being a brat…just as much as I'm sure _you_ had your moments, too, Ash. Whether or not you instigated that food fight, there were probably 'other' times when you weren't entirely innocent in those confrontations, _right_, Ash?"

I bit my lip, shooting Brock a glare, one he shot right back at me. Sure, I was no saint, and I had my moments, but Gary _was _worse. I was not the kid with the complex of, "Since I'm the great Professor Oak's grandson, I am 'supposed' to be a Pokemon Master!" Gary used his grandfather's glory many times to his advantage over the years, and it often worked. Nobody dared to scold or upset the child of a Pokemon researching prodigy. On the flip side, many people often misunderstood me as being plain jealous that Gary was the grandson of the amazing Professor Oak. Back then, maybe I _was_ a little envious. What kid wouldn't want their parent or grandparent to be a celebrity? Imagine the perks! For a little kid, having a rich grandfather equals TONS-OF-BIG-EXPENSIVE-PRESENTS! But I got over that pretty quickly. Yeah, I'm not the most 'mature' of people, but I quickly realized the reason I didn't need a rich grandpa to shower me with presents. I had Mom, and I wouldn't trade her for all the money in the world.

"Look...I know I'm not perfect," I admitted in another sigh. "But Misty's party is something I want to be as perfect as possible. You guys know better than anyone how my luck runs with these birthday fiascos. I don't wanna' mess this up, and I sure as hell don't want Gary messing it up, either. Misty…" I found myself trailing, while my eyes suddenly reverted back to the table's reflection. Much to my surprise, my mirrored portrait was starting to redden, and I knew why. "…Misty…she deserves the best." I think I heard May muffle another girly squeal, which caused my cheeks to burn more profusely.

"We'll keep an eye out for Gary, okay?" Brock sympathetically reassured. I could tell by the tone of his voice that he was smiling, but it wasn't a rude smile by any means. "But we're not gonna' be held up at the windows all day awaiting an arrival that may never come, either."

I couldn't blame him. "I don't want you guys to be," I nodded, raising my face to smile at each one of them. "Gary's my problem, and I'll just have to deal with him if and when the time comes. I won't let him ruin your time with Misty."

Then I felt a hand on my shoulder, causing my eyes to meet Max' hazels. Much to my surprise, and joy, there wasn't a trace of sarcasm in Max' features: just confidence. "You won't ruin our time, Ash," the boy spoke with enough precision to rival his book-quoting. If I had not known better, it sounded like Max was _speaking the truth_. "And you won't ruin Misty's party, either. Like sis said, everything will turn out great. You'll see."

I really needed to hear that. Considering Max was usually the first person to tease me about my birthday issues, there was no greater compliment than getting a vote of confidence from him. A bright smile flashed through my curled lips before I even managed a grateful nod.

Max, May, and Brock were right. I had been getting paranoid over the dumbest details regarding Misty's newest party. First came this morning's invitation mix-up, and now Gary. Simple things were making me a nervous wreck and driving me to overreact, jumping the gum, er, _gun_, and all that. Maybe I really should take a chill pill. After all, there was no sense in getting worked up over something that may not happen. I was still going to keep Gary in the back of my mind, just in case, but I was not about to let that jerk ruin Misty's birthday. I had been waiting for March 20th ever since last year's, and nobody, not even Gary Oak, was going to ruin it!

* * *

><p><em>Ding dong!<em>

"Coming!" sang the harmonious tune of one Delia Ketchum, fluttering to the living room's front door. Misty's cake was currently in its respective oven, and just when Mrs. Ketchum thought she could finally take a five-minute break, the doorbell rang.

_Urgh, will I ever sit down today?_ Sighing tiredly, the woman fixed her appearance as best as possible, fingers combing her auburn hair. There was a chance Professor Oak would be behind that door to relay the news of their theatre tickets. For Sam, Delia did not want to look like someone who just crawled out of a grave. Unlocking the door and turning the knob, Delia put on a smile, expecting her older friend to greet her.

However, it was not Professor Oak who greeted Delia. Instead, it was…

"Like, hiya there!"

"_Cooool_!"

Blinking and sweatdropping, a surprised Delia did a double-take upon inspecting two teenagers on her front porch. Neither looked familiar to Delia, and she knew almost everybody in Pallet Town. Both teenagers appeared in their late teens, dressed in uniforms for high school seniors. To be exact, they wore _female_ uniforms – black dress shoes, white knee-high socks, short gray skirts, and tan v-neck sweaters flashing a school insignia Delia couldn't quite make out. Both girls wore a tad too much make-up for Delia's taste, and their skin appeared as though the teenagers spent an unhealthy number of hours at the tanning salon. One bubbly young lady had long orangey hair, while the softer-spoken girl had short blonde hair. Surely, Delia would recognize townspeople as flamboyant as these two, yet the woman was drawing a blank.

Bracing herself, Delia dared to ask, "Can I help you?"

With Meowth and Wobbuffet staking out in the nearby bushes, the undercover Jessie and James exchanged secret smirks. _Showtime!_

"Why _yes_!" the orange-haired Jessie gushed, posing energetically in her infamous schoolgirl uniform. "We're, like, old friends of…" she stammered, thinking for a second to remember the twerpette's name. After running into a few too many twerps during her lifetime, Jessie lost track of every brat's name. "...Missy!"

Delia blinked strangely. Then came a soft yelp came from Jessie's over-painted lips, as Meowth discreetly jabbed the girl's ankle with a bush branch. "It's '_Misty_,' you peabrain!" he hissed as quietly as possible. Meowth would have gone totally unnoticed, too, had the bush not randomly resonated a delirious "Wooooobuffet!"

When Jessie realized the twerp's mother was already getting suspicious, the Rocket girl not-so-discreetly kicked the bush to shut up the hiding Pokemon. When that drove one of Delia's eyebrows to arch, the sweatdropping Jessie giddily laughed, pooh-poohing the matter and attempting to change the subject. "Uh, I mean..._Misty_!" she corrected, attempting to save herself. "We always, like, called her Missy! Tee hee."

"Oh really..." Delia muttered, not sure what to make of these odd strangers. Mrs. Ketchum certainly was not the type of person to slam the door in people's faces, but she did not want any trouble, either. Then again, these schoolgirls obviously knew Misty, so that led Delia to automatically assume one thing. "Well, I'm afraid Misty's not here, yet. Were you invited to the party?"

There were things to be said for the Ketchums' inherent naivety. Relieved to know her brilliant scheme had yet to go up in smoke, Jessie continued her charade. "You, like, bet we were!" she cheered with her horrible valley girl voice. "Like, we showed up a little early. But when we got the invitations, we like, just couldn't wait for that radical party!"

"_Coooooool_!" James finally gushed in his girly impression. It took every ounce of Meowth's willpower not to fall out of the bush in rolling hysterics. But that would blow their cover, yes? So the cat chewed on his bleeding lip to keep his big mouth shut.

"Well, the party's not for another three days," Delia informed, though she was happy to know these oddballs were friends of Misty's, instead of total strangers who might cause trouble. These schoolgirls were clearly out-of-towners, probably from a Cerulean City high school. Granted, Delia did not know these people, and gushy girls did not seem to mix with tomboyish Misty. Still, Delia knew she was in no position to question Misty's friends. Misty was obviously a good judge of character if she befriended people like Ash, Brock, Tracey, May, and Max. Thus, there was no need for Delia to worry. "But I'd be happy to let my son and his friends know you've arrived. What're your names?"

Jessie and James exchanged looks for a second. They needed aliases..._quick_!

"Uh...like, I'm Jesselin!" Jessie lied, pointing to her nose before directing the same index finger in James' direction. "And this here's Jane!"

The girl (well, _man_) of few words confirmed Jane's identity with another high-pitched, "_Coooooooool_!"

"Well, it's very nice to meet you," jubilantly welcomed Delia, making sure to shake the girls' hands. "I'm Ash's mother, Mrs. Ketchum. Though, speaking of Ash…I don't recall him mentioning your names before," she curiously pondered, much to the sweating horrors of 'Jesselin' and 'Jane.' True, Delia knew Ash tended to be forgetful, so it was not extraordinary to envision him forgetting about these two schoolgirls. Sometimes, Delia found it an utter miracle that her scatterbrained son remembered his own name! Even so, "Ash said he was inviting four other girls: Trinity, Sakura, Casey, and Marina." Not noticing Jesselin and Jane gulp, Delia smiled rather awkwardly. "You'll have to excuse me, but your names don't ring a bell."

"Not so 'dippy,' is she?" the wise Meowth muttered from his bush.

Jessie would have kicked the bush again, but she knew that would only draw greater suspicions from the twerp mom. The Rockets had to think quickly! Surely, Jessie was brilliant enough to fool Mrs. Ketchum. Before her plan could flounder, Jessie quickly cued Delia closer to whisper something in her ear.

"Well, like…" Jesselin stammered. "…Jane and I are kinda' supposed to be, like, a 'surprise' for Missy…I-I mean Misty. But the twer-I mean your son, like, knows all about us."

Delia still could not recall Ash ever mentioning Jesselin and Jane. But as the orange-haired teen noted, this visit was meant to be a surprise. Mrs. Ketchum just wished Ash had told her about this, because now Delia would have to make accommodations for two extra guests. Surely, Jesselin and Jane's arrivals were intended to be surprises for _Misty_, not surprises for _Delia_. But leave it to Ash to let a detail such as this slip his mind. Yes, Delia was impressed, and touched, by Ash's efforts planning Misty's party. However, the woman also had to admit her son was not approaching this matter as wisely as he could. Nonetheless, Ash getting himself in over his head was certainly nothing new, and Delia did what she always did: grin and bear it. Her son was bound to learn his lesson, eventually. Plus, Ash was the one always claiming he was growing up, who did not need to be babied by his mother. All Delia could do was trust Ash's judgment.

"Well, alright then," Delia brightened, before motioning for the teenagers to enter her home. Honestly, entertaining guests was the last thing Delia felt like doing after slaving over Misty's cake all morning. However, tiredness never stopped Delia Ketchum from being a gracious host. "In that case, please come in. Would you girls like anything to drink?"

Winning their tickets into the Ketchum residence, Jesselin and Jane squealed in delight. "Why, like, thank you!" Jessie replied, while James sung another "_Coool_!" for a good measure. Trotting into the living room, James scanned the area with his eyes, while Jessie kept Mrs. Ketchum busy. "But we, like, can't stay very long. We've still gotta' go buy Misty's presents, and like, buy new clothes for the party. We're totally busy! So, like, we really just wanted to drop in and say 'hi!' to let your brat-I-I mean your _son_ know we're, like, totally comin' to the par-tay!"

As much as virtually possible, Jesselin's "like"-riddled words made sense to Delia. "Oh, well, if you're in a hurry, just let me run into the kitchen and get you those drinks. You'll probably need them if you're planning on running around downtown." From experience, Delia knew spending a day shopping in downtown Pallet could be an exhausting but fun adventure. The woman certainly did not want Misty's friends to fall sick before her party. Making her way to the kitchen, the last Delia mentioned was, "Please, sit down and make yourselves comfortable. I'll be right back!"

Grinning from ear to ear, Jesselin replied, "Like, totally thanks!"

"_Cooool_!" Jane finished.

Once the clueless twerp mother disappeared into the kitchen, Jessie and James got to work. The unused party invitations were still scattered across the living room's coffee table. Each card was practically calling out to the Rockets, which was why the incognito schoolgirls hurriedly stuffed the cards under their sweaters. Considering the twerps were so oblivious during the earlier invitation mix-up, Jessie and James doubted the kids would notice the missing cards. Mrs. Ketchum obviously had better things to worry about, too. Even if she did notice the absent cards, the Rockets would be long gone before Delia could do anything about it. Victorious winks were exchanged, just as Mrs. Ketchum reentered with two large glasses of orange juice, offering one to each guest.

"I must say..." Delia started as Jesselin and Jane quaffed down their juice like dehydrated fish. In spite of her personal misgivings concerning Misty's party, Delia felt inclined to admit, "I think what you and my son are doing is very sweet."

Jesselin and Jane blinked, soundly swallowing the remainder of their drinks. "Come again?"

Delia just giggled, running a hand through her auburn bangs. "This party is important to Misty. But, I think it's even more important to my son that this party turns out okay. I know Ash has nothing but the best intentions, but sometimes he doesn't always think things through."

_No kidding_, Jessie and James bluntly thought in unison.

"But I'm just glad to know both Ash and Misty have such good friends like you," beamed Delia, obviously speaking from her heart. "It's wonderful that my son knows people who care about Misty and are willing to help make this party the best it can be."

_Oh damn_, like it or not, Jessie and James could feel their unflattering consciences kick in. How was it that mothers possessed the abilities to guilt almost anyone, even people outside family? One thing was for sure, the Rockets suddenly felt a tad claustrophobic in the Ketchum parlor. Knowing they overstayed their welcome, Jessie and James haphazardly made their exits.

"Oh, like, look at the time!" Jesselin gasped, looking at her arm (which had no watch) before grabbing Jane's collar and heading for the front door. "We've like, gotta' go! Thanks for the drinks! C'ya at the rad party!"

"_Coooooooooooool_!" Jane sung farewell, mid-sentence as he and Jessie dashed out the door and down the street. The weird duo was gone long before the blinking Mrs. Ketchum could even ponder the girls' whirling dervish.

Sighing, Delia just strolled to the door, shut it, and shook her head. _Ash does attract some strange people, doesn't he?_

Dirt road crunching under their shoes, Jessie and James stopped to catch their breath once they reached a safe distance from the Ketchum house. A short distance behind, Meowth and Wobbuffet scampered to join their fleeing teammates. Reorganized and reinvigorated, Jessie and James quickly whipped out the invitations from under their sweaters. In one hand went the cards, while their opposite free hand slapped each other a celebratory high-five.

"We did it!" Jessie exclaimed, staring down at the Dragonair-designed invitations in her hands. "Now all we need to do is mail these out!"

"What're yous talkin' about?" Meowth asked strangely, still trying to decipher the logic behind Jessie's so-called brilliant scheme. "What does sendin' out boirthday party invitations have ta' do with us gettin' Pokemon, and with humiliatin' da twoirp?"

Jessie snickered villainously, waving the invitations like a flag under Meowth's nose. "What you see here, Meowth, are not 'birthday party' invitations, per se." Overdramatically, the orange-dyed redhead proclaimed exuberantly, "Once we're done with them, these'll be invitations to the greatest and BIGGEST celebration this town has ever seen!"

The complaining cat's jaw almost hit the ground. "I thought we were gonna' humiliate da' twoirp, not make him _more _popula'!"

Jessie shook her head in exasperation. "Furball! Don't you get it? The twerpette wants a small party, and I'm sure the twerp's mother wants the same," she said, grinning like a madwoman. "But if we make it look like the twerp invited the _rest _of the town to this shindig – _without_ Mommy's permission – so much for a 'little party'! And if the party gets too big, and out of control…"

Meowth understood the rest, beaming brightly as his light bulb clicked. "Ha ha! Da' twoirp's gonna' be in soooooo much trouble!"

On the same wavelength, Jessie nodded in full agreement. "And trouble is what we're all about, Meowth!"

"_Cooooooool_!" James suddenly gushed in excitement.

Blinking, Jessie and Meowth turned to their cross-dressing partner. "Uh...James..." Jessie sweatdropped. "You don't have to do that anymore."

Blinking to himself, James blushed, lowering his head sheepishly. "Oh. Sorry."

"Woooooooobbuffet!" Wobbuffet chimed before getting returned to its Pokeball.

"Anyway, let's get started!" Jessie ordered, Meowth and James nodding in full agreement. Punching an excited fist into the air, the smirking Rocket girl reveled over what was sure to be her greatest scheme ever. Without doubt in Jessie's mind, this plan was perfect, and she, James, and Meowth would have fun executing it. Though, which would be the greater source of entertainment: mischief-making at the twerp's party, or watching that brat finally get the punishment he rightfully deserved?

Either way, Jessie knew she was guaranteed to enjoy herself. "You heard the twerp mother; we've got three days to initiate Operation: _Pallet-Palooza_!"

**To Be Continued...**

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><p><strong>AN**: James will never live down his St. Anne schoolgirl segment (not in my book, anyway). And yes, I couldn't resist throwing Gary into this fic. What good Pallet Town story would be complete without Ash's favorite rival? ^^

Credits-wise, "Pallet-Palooza" was spoofed off the anime episode "Wobbu-Palooza" (which is, like, one of my all-time favorite episodes. I'm totally jealous of the characters in that episode, living in a Wobbuffet-filled village, and even wearing T-shirts with Wobbuffet faces on them! Lucky bastards). All hail Wobbuffet! *hugs Wobbuffet plushie*

So…now that I'm totally digging Ash's grave even deeper…stay tuned for Ch.4!


	4. Pallet Palooza

**COPYRIGHT NOTE**: I don't own _Pokemon / Pocket Monsters_, or the song "It's My Party (and I'll Cry If I Want To)," performed by Lesley Gore.

**COMMENTS**: Once again, a general (yet big) thank you to everybody who's been following "It's Her Party 2." Has everybody enjoyed themselves whilst reading this fic? I hope so. ^^

Chs.1-3 set the stage for Misty's big day. Now that the momentous event is here, what crazy ideas do Ash, Team Rocket, etc. (and most of all…_Aiselne_) have up their sleeves? Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Pallet-Palooza!

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><p><strong>It's Her Party, and I'm In Big Trouble Again<strong>

_Aiselne Phoenix_

**_March 20_**

**Ch.4: "Pallet-Palooza"**

**U**nlike last year, Misty's new party wasn't a rush-rush job. By the morning of March 20th, none of us had to worry about last-minute safety measures. All the food was bought and ready to go. Mom and Brock spruced up the house, and I helped, too. See? I'm not lazy. I _do_ help around the house! Though…well, Mom kinda' 'drafted' me to help clean the place, but she let me have last night's dessert as reward. Cherry pie, too. Oh happy day!

Anyways…believe me when I say that when I woke up on March 20th, I woke up with a smile on my face – a very bright smile. Then again, how could I _not_ smile?

_Misty arrives today!_

The twentieth was a bright sunny morning. Of course, it figures that the day I plan an "indoor" party, the outdoor weather is crystal clear. Yet, last year's outdoor party in Petalburg City fell on a rainy day. Damn Mother Nature. But like Misty said at May and Max' house, the weather can't be helped. It was better for me to concern myself with more important matters. Besides, if the weather stayed sunny, we could always go outside later to battle or hang out with the Pokemon.

Like I said earlier, Mom made me swear to keep the Pokemon outside, or in their Pokeballs. Even Mr. Mime was spending the night at Professor Oak's lab. She didn't have a problem with small Pokemon like Pikachu, but the bigger ones weren't permitted indoors. And leave it to Pikachu, my buddy didn't find it fair that it was allowed inside while its bigger Poke-pals were stuck outdoors. It's not a Pokemon's fault if its natural body type is larger than a foot-tall, right? So to make everything fair, _all_ the Pokemon were to be kept outside. Fortunately, the weather was beautiful, and Mom had no problem with us partygoers moving the festivities outside. Misty would like that, too. Indoors or outdoors, the day wouldn't go to waste.

However, what classic Ash Ketchum-planned birthday party would be complete without a few disappointments? Granted, these were 'minor' disappointments (instead of last year's earth-shattering issues), but they were still disappointments all the same.

First, Misty made a surprise phone call last night. Mom, Brock, and the others claim they never saw me run to a phone so fast in my life. So sue me! It was the night before Misty's big day, so how could I _not_ be energized? I couldn't help but dash to the videophone! It felt like Heaven to hear Misty's voice say…

"_Hi, Ash. Look, I'm really sorry about this, but I won't be able to make it–"_

Then I felt like I was in Hell! I immediately dropped to the floor, ready to bawl, _NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_

"_Ash? ASH? Oh my God, are you okay?"_

"Okay" wasn't the first word that came to my mind, but I somehow managed to pull myself to my feet.

"_Jeez! Don't scare me like that, you dork."_ Hell, SHE scared ME! _"Lemmie finish talking before you spaz out! I was gonna' say I won't be able to make it to Pallet until late tomorrow afternoon._

"_Argh! I'm sorry, but Lily's battle from yesterday left the gym in total disarray. It's a long story that's too irritating to rehash. Let's just say there was water leaking into the lobby, and Lily's challenger must've used some Poison Type, because there were globes of Sludge Bombs on the freakin' walls!_

"_Aaaand, because I'm such an awesome, sympathetic, SUCKER of a little sister, I just HAD to open by big fat mouth and volunteer to help clean up. Where oh where were Daisy and Violet? Out getting manicures, of course! My sisters' timings are impeccable. Hmph! But at least Lil was nice enough to treat me to supper and ice cream afterwards…_

"_Anyway, sorry for ranting at ya like this. But between clean-up and supper, I left Cerulean later than planned. I'm in Pewter City right now, but I'll try and pick up the pace and reach Pallet by the afternoon, maybe around five o'clock. I hope that's okay."_

Well, considering the circumstances, the fact that Misty would come to Pallet _at all_ was more than okay. I'll admit, I was looking forward to spending more time with Misty…you know, spending time together in the morning and whatnot. But what else could I do? The delay was certainly not my fault, nor Misty's.

Yeah, I know; instead of whining, I should be counting my blessings. Misty calling to say, "Sorry, I'll be late" is way better than getting a call saying, "Sorry, I can't come at all." If the latter happened, no doubt, I would've had heart failure right in front of the videophone. I nearly dropped dead, after all! Then I would've reeeally ruined Misty's special day, since who wants their friend to die on their birthday? Er, okay, okay, those are (big) exaggerations, but I know I would've been crushed if I found out Misty bailed out on this year's party. I didn't want this party to go to waste, especially after the long hard work we put into the planning.

But most importantly, I really wanted to see Misty. The idea of waiting longer to see her was just _ridiculous_! I know I'm impatient, but dammit, it's been a YEAR since we last reunited! Don't I have a right to be eager about seeing Misty again? It's. Been. A. Whole. _YEAR_! 365 days! Or was it 366? I can never keep track of those leap years, and…wait! Who cares? Enough's enough! If I had to run to Cerulean City, so be it! This yearlong waiting is for the birds! But with Misty's new delay, at least I only had to wait an extra few hours, instead of an extra few days, months, or years (oh God, I'd go nuts if I had to wait an extra year!). I could handle waiting a couple more hours. Count your blessings, Ash.

The other disappointment came when Mom said she would not be able to stick around for the party. Professor Oak succeeded in getting those tickets. He told us all about how he had to camp outside the theatre in a sleeping bag to get the tickets! Jeez, isn't that a little excessive? See, Professor Oak's too nice a guy to flaunt his wealth and power (unlike his egotistical grandson). I wasn't surprised to hear he stood in line like everybody else, when the professor could've easily flashed his Pokemon League ID and gotten showered with tickets.

Even so, _camping out_ for tickets is crazy if you ask me. It's not like the theatre play is a major Pokemon League competition. No show about guys in tights is worth sleeping on a sidewalk overnight. Even Mom gave the professor a lecture, saying that reckless move coulda' gotten him sick. Strangely, Professor Oak didn't seem to mind at all. He just muttered something that sounded like, "It's worth it…for you, Delia." Then Mom kinda' got giggly and gave the professor a HUGE hug and thanked him, like, a zillion times. Boy, she must really wanna' go to that play. I haven't seen Mom this giggly since my Dad took her out for dinner dates, and that was _years_ ago! Good thing Professor Oak is taking Mom to a show instead of a dinner, else I woulda' thought they'd be going on a date. Funny, huh? Hahahahaha! Seriously, soap opera-savvy Brock and May don't know what they're talking about.

Of course, Mom read me the Riot Act…_a billion times_! That isn't an exaggeration, either. Mom lectured an earful to me about how I was to watch over the house in her absence. She and Professor Oak were to be home by ten o'clock. She didn't want to come home late and have to vacuum the carpets of popcorn and chips, or wash the sofa cushions of spilt soda, or (in general) come home to a disaster. I can't say I blame Mom for worrying, since my last birthday party in Pallet ended with soggy cake all over the place. Nobody wants to come home late at night to find their house a shambles.

But this year would be different! I was older, more mature, and everything was under control. Though, it took a while for me (and my friends) to convince Mom I could safely watch over the house for a few hours. But after the rigmarole Professor Oak went through to get her tickets, Mom wasn't about to let the man's efforts be for nothing. Plus, she admitted that tonight would be "a good learning experience" for me, too. So, after a long, long talk, Mom decided to let me be the man of the house for a night. She seemed to feel better about her decision after I gave her a bunch of hugs and thank-yous.

Though to be honest, I kinda' wish Mom and the professor could've come to Misty's party, not for chaperoning, but so they could spend some time with Misty. I know Mom's pretty fond of Misty, and vice versa. Hopefully, Mom would get home in time to enjoy the last half of Misty's party. Ten o'clock wasn't 'too' late to throw a party, and it's not like Pokemon trainers have bedtimes, anyway. My friends have I have stayed up waaay later than ten…though, uh, don't tell my mom that, okay?

All in all, I suppose these 'disappointments' weren't so bad. The party was going according to schedule, which is a miracle in itself. All the decorations were up, and the cake was ready to go. May actually sent Munchlax to Professor Oak's lab for the day just so it would not devour all the food. Though…I'm kinda' worried about Munchlax being at the professor's ranch. After all, my Snorlax is there, too. I'm getting scary mental images of those two hungry Pokemon eating the professor out of house and home! Pallet Town doesn't need a rerun of the incident on the Seven Grapefruit Islands! But knowing Professor Oak, he took care of Munchlax' hunger needs. At least…I sure hope so. Tracey would be joining us at the party, so that left the ranch's Pokemon to their own devices. But hey, the professor isn't a famed researcher for nothing, right? Professor Oak knows what he's doing.

Speaking of Tracey and the guests, the first guests arrived early that morning. Casey was the first arrival, ready to grace Misty with some stupid Electabuzz theme song. I vaguely remember asking Casey NOT TO SING at Misty's party, but, well, this is Casey we're talking about. Keeping her mouth shut isn't Casey's specialty. Thankfully, once Casey's mind got on something else, she stopped singing. Except, the only other thing that could ever preoccupy Casey's mind is the Electabuzz baseball team. The fangirl plopped herself on my couch for most of the day, watching the latest Electabuzz games on TV. The team was losing, as always, causing Casey to scream at every strike out and scare the hell out of us. Oh, and did I mention Casey arrived at _SEVEN O'CLOCK _that morning? Urgh, try listening to her Electabuzz songs, cheers, and screams that early in the morning and you'll have a mental breakdown! As you can see, Casey listened very well to our requests of NOT TO SING! Why the hell did I invite her, again? Oh right…she's Misty's friend. This is Misty's day, not mine. I invited Misty's buddies, not mine. Fine. Then Casey will be Misty's headache, not mine.

Tracey arrived afterwards by ten o'clock with Sakura. When I last phoned her about the party, Sakura had already been in the area visiting Professor Oak, so she had been sleeping over at Tracey's house for a few days. Naturally, they arrived together, which killed two birds with one stone. Not only did two guests arrive at the same time, but Tracey and Sakura were also the ones bringing the Pokemon food, courtesy of Professor Oak. Tracey and Sakura's arrival made the Pokemon very happy. I wasn't about to let the Pokemon starve in my backyard.

Marina showed up about forty-five minutes later, gushing about all the party favors we chose. Just like last year, the party was themed for Water Pokemon, a love she and Misty had in common. Blue and teal balloons were everywhere, and we even had some banners that resembled Dratini and Dragonair. Marina insisted she let her own Water Pokemon out for the party, but again, Mom made certain all the Pokemon stayed clear of the house.

Too bad, because Marina's caught herself some awesome Pokemon since we last saw her in the Orange Islands. Would you believe she's training more Tentacruel and Tentacool? What's _really_ cool is that Marina's even managed to find, and breed, some rarely colored Tentacool and Tentacruel. How cool is that? Marina even told me she raised a pair of teal-colored Tentacruel. Their jelly bodies are colored more like a greenish-blue, instead of the royal blue like typical Tentacruel. Their odd colors are the same cases as my Noctowl's feathers bearing slightly different hues than regular Noctowl. Boy, can you imagine Misty's face if she found a rarely colored Tentacruel? I mean, Misty goes crazy over normal Tentacruel, never mind Tentacruel of a special color! She'd FREAK if she saw a teal-colored Tentacruel!

Um…ya know…on second thought, maybe it's a good idea that the Pokemon _will_ be kept outside. Otherwise, I'm picturing Misty flipping out upon seeing Marina's Pokemon. Either way, those two Water Pokemon trainers are sure to start gushing like they did back in the Orange Islands. Urgh, such fond memories for Tracey and me.

Last but not least came Trinity. We (and most notably a panicking _Brock_) almost thought Trinity might not show up. She doesn't know Kanto as well as Johto, so she had difficulties finding Pallet Town. When you think about it, Pallet Town's just a little nook in Kanto. It's often overshadowed by big name places like Viridian City and Indigo Plateau. Just south of us is Cinnabar Island, too, which is a huge tourist attraction. One might think Pallet being smack dab in the middle of two tourist hotspots might earn it some publicity, but not so. Actually, that's the very reason Professor Oak lives here: Pallet Town is secluded, far enough away from nosy paparazzi. It's pretty easy to bypass a little place like Pallet if you're unfamiliar with the area. But thankfully, Trinity found my house, and not a moment too soon (as far as Brock was concerned).

To be expected, Max became Brock's conjoined twin upon Trinity's arrival. Really, it was a good thing Mom did want the Pokemon in the backyard. Trinity owns a Gyarados, too, and that is not something I want in my own house! God only knew what might happen if Misty's Gyarados and Trinity's Gyarados went wild. I could see the headlines now: "Pallet Town burnt to the ground by a pair of rampaging Gyarados!" Thankfully, Trinity's Gyarados was exceptionally trained like Misty's, so I was not too worried about the dragons causing trouble. Frankly, I was more worried about _Brock_'s troublemaking driving Max to FEED the lovesick teenager to Gyarados! Otherwise, everything was A-okay regarding the guests.

Though honestly, my worries weren't totally at ease. I hate to admit it, but Gary was in the back of my mind for most of that morning. Thankfully, he had yet to show up, and no signs pointed to him stopping by, either. Both Professor Oak and Tracey said Gary was busy today with research, so I guess I was worrying for nothing. Maybe Gary really was just pulling my leg. Then again, if I'm claiming to be older and more mature, I suppose Gary isn't an exception. Perhaps I didn't give him enough credit after all.

For once, I was glad Gary proved me wrong. I really didn't want my old rival to ruin this reunion with Misty. I waited a whole year for this day, waiting to hear my doorbell ring and find Misty on the front porch, smiling at me with that smile only Misty can make. Then I suddenly feel really, really…good!

How do girls do that to boys? How would I know? But Misty is really good at making me smile. Butterfrees go crazy inside me, everything gets warm, and these feelings are things Brock calls…um…gimmie a sec'…"hor-mones." That is a weird word, though it's no weirder than "lingerie," which Brock finally told me is NOT linguini. It's UNDERWEAR – _GIRL_'S UNDERWEAR! _Eeeeeeeeewww_! Dear God, Brock took me to one of those lingerie stores (Why? Even I don't wanna' know), and have you _seen_ those places? Those stores have mannequins and huge posters of girls in their underwear – ONLY in underwear – wearing _NOTHING ELSE_! And why are all those mannequins in weird poses, bending over and showing their, er…_everything_? Shouldn't stores like that be illegal? And I swear, all those women photographed in the poster ads were…(um, how do I say this?)…they were…BIG! Not big like 'fat,' but big…up _there_…and how can girls be comfortable with those things? Brock says that's why girls wear "bras," and a bunch of other things, but I don't remember it all. I kinda' blacked out afterwards.

Anyway…uh…where was I, again? Oh right! Misty. _MISTY!_

So, after the morning hoopla, you can imagine how relieved I was when five o'clock arrived. And as promised, there she stood. Misty was at my front door, wearing bright yellow clothes and an even brighter smile. Then the Butterfrees started dancing in my stomach, and well, you already know Misty has that effect on me. Moving on.

"Heh, about time you showed up!" I teased playfully as I opened the door that afternoon. Misty rewarded my comment by sticking out her tongue, just like the good old days when we constantly bickered. "Sheesh, Myst. I was beginning to think you forgot today was your birthday or something!"

"Oh yeah right, Ash," she chimed, rolling her blue eyes and lightly punching my arm. Yup! Just like the good old days! "As if I'd be dumb enough to forget my own birthday. If _you_ of all people can remember my birthday, Ash Ketchum, than _anybody_ should be able to remember it." And crossing her arms expectantly, Misty added, "Speaking of which, are we just gonna' stand outside all day, or are you gonna' let me inside, already? I didn't come all this just way to stand on your porch, you know."

Hehe, our relationship was practically built on playful sarcasm. Sure, we could've skipped the teasing and fast-forwarded to hugs, exchanging "I missed you" lines, et cetera, but where's the fun in that? I like to rile her up, and she likes to rile me up, too, and no semi-boyfriend/girlfriend roles will ever change that.

"Oh, I don't know, Misty," I teased, crossing my own arms to mock hers. Cocking an eyebrow, I shrugged. "What makes you think there's anything inside my house that'd interest you? It's not like there's a _party_ in there or something."

I made sure to emphasize "party," which immediately illuminated Misty's face. She knew a birthday party awaited her in Pallet Town, of course. Still, ever since the Petalburg party, Misty's birthday earned new meaning for us. And since Misty's semi-boyfriend happened to plan and host the Pallet party, I'm sure that made Misty giddier. It made me pretty giddy, too.

Blame our silliness, but perfectly synchronized, Misty and I burst into giggles. It was then that we finally closed the gap between ourselves, threw arms around each other, and hugged tightly. For the record, I never _ever_ used to get so close to a girl before, but with Misty…well, Misty is Misty, and she's special. I like hugging her, too. She still loves perfume, but when we hug, Misty smells like Mom's flower garden. Maybe perfume isn't as crappy as I used to think back in Celadon City.

"You know something, Ash Ketchum..." she started, parting from me and mischievously pulling the brim of my hat over my face, just as she did the last time we met on her birthday. "...If there is anything I almost forgot, it's how you can be so incredibly sweet _and _incredibly annoying at the same time."

Fixing my hat, I grinned at her. "I'm not annoying!" I shot back innocently, playfully shoving her, which she returned a second later. It had been so, soo long since we were last like this, just playing around and teasing each other. Moments like these truly are like the good old days. Life doesn't get much better than that!

"So..." Misty started with another wide grin, cocking her head teasingly. "...What shenanigans can I look forward _this _year, Ash?"

She asked me that same question last year. "Do you think you can handle it?" I kidded, adding a mysterious tone to my voice. Plain as day, Misty's energy was soaring, and I could tell her body was anxious with bubbling anticipation. The party had not even officially started, and the birthday girl looked electric…er, I mean static…_ecstatic_. I could only imagine how happy Misty would be upon meeting everybody else, and it was so hard for me to contain my own joy.

"Okay, Myst," I started, twirling a finger to cue her to, "Turn around."

Rolling her eyes, Misty sighed sarcastically before doing as told. "Here we go again," she chimed, obviously remembering I made a similar request at last year's Petalburg party. Except last year, when I told Misty to turn around and close her eyes, I gave her what Misty now calls her "favorite birthday present." How was I gonna' top myself this year? The redhead could hardly wait.

"Close your eyes."

"Oh gimmie a break, Ash! Just let me in already!"

"Are your eyes closed?"

"_Yours _are gonna' be black and blue in two seconds if you don't stop screwing around."

I chuckled, reaching over to cover Misty's eyes with my hands. She squirmed slightly, but she knew I was only playing. Nevertheless, I wanted to make sure Misty's surprise _was _a surprise. Gently and slowly, I guided her into the living room, unable to contain my own excitement and smiles. I could not wait to see Misty's face light up like the golden sun outside, squealing in delight once she saw her unexpected guests.

Speaking of which, all of Misty's guests quieted their own eagerness upon seeing the blinded birthday girl. As rehearsed, nobody would speak until I brought Misty inside and cued everybody to shout, "Happy Birthday, Misty!"

Casey and Sakura held armfuls of colorful streamers, eagerly ready to shoot them up in the air once I finally uncovered Misty's eyes. Trinity and Marina both had bottles of bubble liquid, all ready to start blowing countless bubbles to coincide with Casey and Sakura's streamers. May had Squirtle, who was only allowed in the house to do a contest performance especially for Misty's birthday. Tracey, Brock, and Max had the blue and teal balloons, Max holding his balloons with one hand and tugging Brock's ear with the other to keep him away from Trinity, (who stood conveniently in front of Brock at the time).

Everything was set and ready to go. All I had to do was unveil Misty's eyes and let the fun begin! Giggling in excitement, my hands slowly uncovered her eyes, my own body tensing with adrenaline. I waited a whole year for this moment, and I could not wait any longer. Barely able to keep my voice from screaming, I started, "Happy birthday, Mis-!"

"HAPPIEE BIRTHDAAYY, MISTIEEE!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin when some girl suddenly screamed those words into the house. For a second, I figured the screamer was one of Misty's guests, Casey most likely. But to my surprise, everyone else looked just as stunned, mouths open but nobody being the scream culprit. Instead, everybody gawked at me…or more accurately; they gawked at someone _behind_ me.

Like a whirlwind, I spun around. For the first time, I noticed another girl at my opened doorstep. She looked my age, had black pigtails, and was dressed in jean overalls and a pink shirt. And you wanna' know the weirdest part? I actually knew the girl.

She was Dena Johansson from two houses down.

The only detail I didn't know was, _What the hell is Dena doing here?_

"Oh WOW!" I jumped again, spinning back around and noticing my hands had unintentionally left Misty's eyes, making her finally notice her big surprise. Forgetting all about me, the redhead trotted over to where her long lost friends stood, particularly hugging Casey, Sakura, Marina, and Trinity. "Oh my God! I can't believe this! I haven't seen you guys in ages! What're you all doing here?"

Last year at the Petalburg party, I flubbed Misty's "happy birthday" declaration. How does a person mess something like that up? Remember who you're talking to here. I was so nervous that I kept stuttering like a moron, barely uttering "happy birthday" to Misty. This time around, when I actually managed to not stammer "happy birthday" like a fool, somebody else beat me to the punch line and stole my thunder! Before I knew it, Brock, May, Max, and everybody else followed Dena's cue and began showering Misty with streamers, bubbles, and best wishes. And I, once again, was left in the dust.

I suppose it's dumb of me to get bent out of shape over somebody wishing "happy birthday" to Misty before I could. But as Misty's semi-boyfriend, shouldn't I have dibs on firsts? Shouldn't I be the first to wish her a happy birthday, and be the first to give her gifts and whatnot? I'm not saying I'm jealous or anything, but, well…maybe I was, just a little. Dena didn't seem to appreciate the sour looks I sent her, either.

Then again, I still had yet to understand why in the world Dena arrived in the first place! How did she know about Misty, and how'd she know about Misty's birthday party? Dena and I were neighbors and went to school together, but we were never close, so I'd have no reason to invite Dena to Misty's party.

Approaching the pigtailed party crasher, I folded my arms and wanted answers. "What're you doing here, Dena?" I asked, attempting to simmer my displeasure. Dena and I were never close, but we weren't enemies, either, and I didn't intend to offend her. Still, _why_ was she here? I never invited her!

"I'm here for the party, of course!" Dena cheered, running ahead and shaking hands with a somewhat baffled Misty. "Happy birthday, Misty! And many more!"

Blinking several times, I wondered if I was dreaming. Like Misty, I was pretty baffled, myself. But Dena just approached and addressed Misty, almost as if the girls were pals. Sure, Dena knew me from the neighborhood, but was it possible that she knew Misty? Brock was the only member of our group that ever spent an extended amount of time in Pallet Town, so the odds of Misty personally knowing my neighbors seemed slim. Misty, herself, didn't seem to know what to make of Dena, yet Dena sure seemed to know Misty.

_What's going on here? _

The mysteries didn't stop there.

"Hey there! Happy birthday, Misty!"

As randomly as Dena, somebody _else_ cheered from my doorstep. I was getting dizzy after spinning around so much. Waltzing into my living room came Lamar Kristopher and his brother. The twin brunettes lived next door to Dena, but I hardly associated with the Kristopher boys after our third grade Pokemon prep course. Personally, I always considered the brothers to be primped and pompous, and they rarely gave me the time of day in school. Hell, I knew so little about the Kristophers that I couldn't even recall the name of Lamar's brother! I think his name started with an R – Ralphie? Randy? It wasn't Richie. Whatever! I had more important things to worry about, first and foremost…

"What are you guys doing here?" I demanded as Lamar and Ronnie (or Rudy? Reggie?) ignored me and made their way to pat Misty on the back. Then the boys just plopped down on my sofa, seizing the TV remote and channel surfing (avoiding all the Electabuzz games, which drove Casey fight for repossession of the remote). Meanwhile, I desperately attempted to make heads or tails of Dena, Lamar, and Rusty(?)'s guest appearances. Was it really possible that all three of them knew Misty, especially since they hardly knew me from down the street!

I suppose on a larger scale, Misty _is_ more popular than me, since she's an aspiring Gym Leader. League affiliates have all sorts of fanbases, and it's hard not to know about the Sensational Sisters. But even if Dena, Lamar, and Ramsey were Misty's fans, how'd they know that Misty would be coming to Pallet Town today, and for a birthday party, no less? Dinky birthday parties in dinky places like Pallet Town aren't exactly momentous enough to be broadcasted nationally! Brock and the others didn't know my neighbors, unless…could Mom have invited them? Mom used to invite all sorts of neighbors to my old birthday parties, but I doubt Mom would do the same for Misty's party. But who else sent out the invites? Nothing made sense, and a huge headache was already pounding my skull.

The headaches didn't stop there, either.

"Yo! Happy birthday, Misty! Outta' my way, Ketchum!"

After getting a rude shove, I regained my footing before noticing the latest arrival. But unlike during Dena, Lamar, and Rodney's appearances, I nearly hit the ceiling upon seeing Pallet Town's most infamous troublemaker stomping into my house! No, it wasn't Gary, but this guy happened to be an old crony of Gary's. In fact, Kyle Redfield made Gary's snootiness seem _friendly_! The red-haired, leather-clad bully was a year older than me, but Kyle got his Pokemon license the same year as Gary and I, due to some sorta' yearlong suspension. I was never brave enough to ask Kyle about it, nor was I stupid enough to get within ten feet of the guy in the first place. Kids across Pallet feared "Red-haired Redfield's" bloody noses as much as they feared the Boogeyman!

Needless to say, Kyle Redfield was one of the last people I wanted in my house! There was no way in hell I would've invited a guy like him to Misty's birthday party! Everybody in Pallet Town knew Kyle's reputation, too, so there's no reason why Mom would've invited him. There were no logical explanations for Dena, Lamar, and Remy, either. How could this be happening? Please oh _please_ tell me I'm just dreaming. Misty's party can't possibly be going to hell all over again, can it? Where did I mess up _this_ time?

Nearly pulling out my hair, I needed to get to the bottom of this matter, before Misty's party sunk any further. Could this be a neighborhood joke? I didn't know Dena and the others well enough for them to pull stunts like these.

Or, was it possible that Gary put them up to this? Gary was more popular than me, and he _did_ know Kyle, but would Gary really go to such lengths to piss me off? I didn't 100% trust Gary, but I did have a hard time believing Gary would go to these extremes, too. Nevertheless, I had to at least ask, "Okay, guys…Dena, Lamar…R-uh, Lamar's brother…Kyle, seriously, what're you doing here?"

"What's it look like, Ketchum?" Kyle huffed, shoving me aside (again) to reach the couch. The Kristopher boys immediately made way for the bully, while Casey naively attempted one last dash for the remote. No surprise, Kyle quickly ruled the television, flipping to a heavy metal concert while helping himself to a bowl of munchies on the coffee table. Nice and blunt, the redhead snorted, "We're here for the party and free food, dumbass!"

As you can see, Kyle's a real gentleman. Snarling, I balled a hidden fist. "I never even invited–"

"Happy birthday, Misty!"

Oh my God! I could _not _believe what was happening! A never-ending assembly line of neighborhood kids kept coming into my house, all wishing a "happy birthday" to Misty. She, Brock, and the rest of my friends quickly got swamped by guests, lost in a crowd of unexpected arrivals. What horrified me was when I noticed that there were _groups _of kids from all over my neighborhood – hell, there were people from the _other side _of Pallet – heading towards my house! One after the other, kids poured into my house like an unstoppable flood. I felt like I was going insane!

_I NEVER INVITED THESE PEOPLE!_

"Like, we wish you a totally happy birthday, Misty!"

"_Cooool_!"

At the very least, I recognized most of the neighbors that crammed into my house. However, the two high school girls standing at my front door were new to me. "Uh...can I help you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at the make up-covered girls. Having yet to enter high school, it's understandable that I wouldn't know many people from Pallet High. Strangely, the girls looked familiar, but I'd be damned if I could remember who they were at the moment.

The girl with long orange hair laughed in excitement. "We're here for, like, the rad party!" she said, bouncing up and down as did the other blonde-haired girl, who did this really weird "_Coooool_!" squeal afterwards. Everything felt vaguely familiar, but again, I was too overwhelmed to comprehend much.

"We, like, brought the karaoke machine and everything!" the orange-haired one said, picking up the metallic machine at her feet. Twirling the microphone with her free hand, the valley girl declared, "This party is gonna' be, like, _sooooo _radical!"

"_Cooooool_!" the blonde gushed, waving her hands giddily.

"Hey, I know you!" Nearly jumping out of my skin all over again, I flinched when Brock came out of nowhere, pointing to the schoolgirls. I had no idea where the rest of my friends were, but I was happy to see Brock managed to escape the sea of partygoers. "You girls gave us those St. Anne tickets!"

When the light bulbs clicked on, I finally remembered the teenagers, who looked startled by Brock's memory. Yeah, leave it to Brock to remember pretty girls. But Brock was right; those girls did give us the free St. Anne tickets, way back in Vermillion City. The St. Anne didn't turn out to be quite as relaxing of a cruise as I hoped, but who'd expect an unsinkable ship to sink? I couldn't exactly blame these girls for giving us tickets to a dud cruise, could I? Whatever the reason, I still didn't understand how these Vermillion City schoolgirls just-so-happened to be in Pallet Town. Although, I guess their appearances weren't any odder than Dena and the others.

Even weirder, the girls seemed to be nervous over me and Brock remembering them. Shouldn't they be happy that we recognize them? I guess girls are weird at any age. Almost immediately, the schoolgirls changed the subject.

"Uh...like, anyway..." the orange girl stammered, still holding the karaoke machine. "Like, where's the birthday girl?" she asked, her and her "_coooool_" partner practically crashing into Brock and me as they forced their way into my living room. I never even caught those girls' names.

I expected Brock to follow the girls, but he surprised me when I felt his strong hand on my shoulder. Considering my house's chaos, it was relieving for me to have Brock's backing. But when I looked up into his eyes, I realized I shouldn't get too comfy.

"Ash, I thought we agreed that this was gonna' be a 'small' party," Brock reminded me, taking note of all the kids that congregated in my living room in less than ten minutes. Alongside the people I actually invited, there were now an extra dozen and a half kids in my house. Worse yet, those uninvited guests consisted of rambunctious kids fighting for food, the remote, and breathing space. My house was not exactly big enough to fit that many people. And somewhere in the crowd of kids, Misty and the rest of my friends were lost.

"Look, Ash," started Brock, speaking in that authoritative voice only an experienced big brother could possess. "I know you wanted to throw a big party for Misty, and I know it's the thought that counts. But seriously, man, this is a little crazy. Does Misty even know half these people?" Noticing my confused face, Brock added, "Hell, I'm starting to wonder if _you_ know half of these people!"

I couldn't blame Brock's uncertainty. As I peered across the crowd filling my living room, the initial shock started to settle. Unfortunately, in place of shock, reality began to sink like a stone in my stomach. With everything spiraling out of control, I couldn't help but shudder and swallow.

"Brock..." I stammered, feeling my nervousness swell with each passing second. It was a _very _good thing Mom was not home at the moment. Otherwise, she would've killed me (non-metaphorically) if she found out about this party! "...I..._never _invited these people!"

Brock seemed to believe me, but, "Then what are they doing here, Ash?" he asked incredulously. "These kids are your neighbors, right? How could they possibly know Misty, let alone know about this birthday party, unless…"

"I said I _didn_'t invite them, Brock!" Swearing on my life, I grabbed Brock's sleeve to make my point. More than anything, Brock needed to believe me. Yeah, I originally wanted to throw a big party for Misty, but this sure as hell was not what I had in mind! "I don't know how they found out about the party, but it wasn't from me! You gotta' believe me, Brock."

I could tell Brock was trying to believe me, but was torn between too many possibilities. But before either of us could continue talking, one of the guests interrupted our conversation. More specifically, somebody grabbed my attention via chucking an empty styrofoam cup at my head. Guess who!

"Hey, Ketchum!" Kyle barked, causing me to shudder all over again. "Where are the Pokemon supposed to stay in this dump, anyway?"

Rapidly losing my patience, I stomached Kyle's insult before pointing to the back door. As much as I wanted to defend my home from being called a "dump," I wasn't about to engage in a fistfight with Red-haired Redfield. "The Pokemon go out back!" I replied, calling out over the crowd. Kyle must've been nuts to think I'd allow Pokemon to roam freely inside a crowded place. Filled with almost two-dozen people and probably six times the number of Pokemon, my house might explode! "All the Pokemon are to stay in their Pokeballs, or go outside, got it?"

After that message, Kyle and various other visiting trainers headed outside. Considering so many people were actually leaving the house, it seemed like the perfect opportunity for me to yell, "Oh, and by the way…none of you were invited to this party, so go home!" I hate being the party pooper, and I don't like the idea of kicking out people. Sadly, my party went out of control before I knew it, and now seemed like my chance to regain control. There was no way I could allow this party's craziness to continue, not if I intended to live once Mom came home.

"Like, by the way, everyone!"

Someone – the orange-haired valley/schoolgirl – suddenly yelled out. She and her yellow-haired girlfriend stationed themselves near the staircase, plugging the karaoke machine into a nearby outlet. Her microphone-enhanced voice easily reached the ears of trainers outside, letting everybody know her big news. "Don't go too far, cause' we've gotta' totally big surprise for ya coming up! I'm, like, your totally gorgeous MC for this evening, Jesselin, along with my radical gal-pal, Jane!"

"_Coooool_!" 'Jane' waved to the crowd.

"Wow! You even hired live entertainment for this party?" I heard Dena gush from somewhere behind me. Of course, with the promise of entertainment, all of the uninvited guests began charging back into my house, not wanting to miss the show. So much for my plan to kick everybody out. "That's so awesome, Ash!"

Dena's compliment was nice, but I couldn't take credit for the entertainment…I couldn't take credit for any of this! This whole situation felt like some surreal out of body experience during which I could only helplessly watch. _What in God's name is going on here?_ I lost control of the party, I lost Misty in the crowd, now I was slowly losing my mind, and I would be dangerously close to losing my life if Mom came home early!

Brock continued to stare at me in disbelief, or more so, _disapproval_. Meanwhile, I just stared off at the hole I somehow fell into. I hadn't the foggiest idea how I got myself into this mess, and more importantly, I had no clue how I'd get myself out, either.

* * *

><p>The twerp's sheet-white face was beautiful for 'Jesselin' to behold. The poor brat looked like he might wet himself any minute. <em>Perfect! Serves him right<em>. With the crowd of young partygoers enticed by the promise of live entertainment, Jessie had the party completely under her control. _Kids are so easy to manipulate._

Team Rocket's stage was set. While 'Jane' pretended to fiddle with the karaoke machine, James and Jessie flipped on their pairs of headsets. The pieces resembling musical headphones, nobody in the crowd thought twice about the singers' gear. While Jessie preoccupied the crowd, James whispered into his headset's microphone. "This is Team Rock-On. What's the story outside, Meowth?"

_"Heh!"_ Meowth laughed on the other line. _"Yous guys wouldn't believe all da Pokemon in this here backyard! Dere's gotta' be at least forty! Maybe more!"_

Knowing Jessie also overheard, she and James exchanged brief smiles of victory. A forty-plus-Pokemon bonus was staring the Rockets right in their faces, and James could not help himself. "Now that _is_ cool."

_"You said, it, Jimmy! So, what's da' situation inside with you and Jessie?"_

Admiring the crowd of stupid kids watching Jessie like moths to a flame, James snickered. "All set. Nobody suspects us. Looks like the twerp isn't the only idiot in this town; Pallet's full of them! Not that Jess and I are complaining. Now's our chance to initiate Operation Pallet-Palooza's main attraction!"

_"Sounds like a plan! I really tink' we've got this one in da bag. Oh, and hey, yous two didn't forget to set the little 'surprise' for da twerp, did ya?"_

Speaking of bags, James' painted lips curled devilishly when he remembered the brown paper bag he hid under his sweater. Careful not to be noticed, he recovered the slim bag, briefly peeking inside to see his reflection against the green liquor bottle. It was Jessie's idea, since A.) the Rockets celebrated their premature Pallet-Palooza victory last night, B.) the bottle was only half emptied, and C.) everybody knew Ash's mother freaked over alcohol. James nearly bit off his tongue to suppress his villainous laughs.

"That twerp...is gonna' be...in _sooooo _much trouble!" James snickered, hearing Meowth and Jessie stifle their own chuckles. "Provided he lives past tonight, the twerp will probably be grounded from now until doom's day once Mommy discovers this party, not to mention this half-emptied bottle!" he gushed, before suddenly pondering, "Or would it be a half-_filled_ bottle?"

"_Wooooobbuffet!"_ James heard the blue blob chime from Meowth's end of the line, before Jessie shot a "shut up!" glare at her partner. Now was not the time for rhetorical questions. While Jesselin maintained the crowd's attention, Jane slinked down the stairs, and snuck the bottle underneath the sofa. Already, the living room's carpet was littered with paper plates, cups, and various potato chips. The clutter would easily conceal the liquor bottle until Mommy came home, and then all hell would break loose. James could not wait! Tonight, the Rocket trio would steal their biggest Pokemon haul, earn their biggest promotion, and destroy the twerp's dignity in the process! This was guaranteed to be Team Rocket's finest hour!

_"Haha!"_ Meowth laughed on the other line. _"Let da' games begin!"_

**To Be Continued...**

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Let's see how much further I can dig Ash's grave. The poor boy…I think by now I've gotten past the initial grave-digging, and have begun hammering nails in his coffin!

And to anyone who might've noticed, I slightly plagiarized one of my own fanfics. Kyle Redfield is an OC who's previously appeared in an older Pallet Town fanfic of mine ("Because You Loved Me"). So sue me: I liked creating my own Pallet Town bully, especially if it means more Ash-torment. ^.^ This story's OCs won't hog the spotlight, but having a bully join this story's chaos sounded too fun for me to pass up. Ash is so screwed, no?

The palooza continues next week! Thankies for reading!


	5. Another Pallet Party Panic!

**COPYRIGHT NOTE**: I don't own _Pokemon / Pocket Monsters_, _Candid Camera_, or the songs: "It's My Party (and I'll Cry If I Want To)," performed by Lesley Gore, or "Pikachu!" and "Double Trouble (Team Rocket)" from the English Pokemon soundtracks.

**COMMENTS**: Updating on Friday the 13th (*inserts evil laugh*). Here comes IHP2's biggest and most devious dosage of Ash-torment yet. Will I _ever_ give that poor boy a break? Nope. Nope.

* * *

><p><strong>It's Her Party, and I'm In Big Trouble Again<strong>

_Aiselne Phoenix_

**Ch.5: "Another Pallet Party Panic!"**

"**G**reetings, all you Pallet-Palooza fans!" Jessie cheered as everyone gathered back into the Ketchums' living room. Even Jessie was amazed over how well Team Rocket's scheme was working. Not that a self-proclaimed mastermind like Jessie ever doubted her flawless plans. Still, it was rare for a Rocket scam to go _this_ smoothly and _this_ easily. Then again, Pallet Town's lamebrain residents were not exceptionally difficult to fool. Seizing the moment, the red-haired Rocket girl used the Ketchum staircase as her stage. Karaoke microphone in hand, Jesselin knew now was as good a time as any to get this party started! "Like, are you ready to rock?"

The congregation of clueless kids cheered. Jane even started throwing her arms up and down to coerce the crowds to do the wave. Naturally, James had already cranked up the karaoke machine's volume to the highest decimal. Once music began booming from the vibrating speakers, it was impossible to hear over the karaoke tunes and the kids' claps and screams. It would be impossible for the partygoers to hear what was going on outside, and that was the point. Meowth would give the signal when it was time for Team Rock-On to vamoose. Until then, Jesselin and Jane had no qualms about getting their grooves on and enjoying their most successful yet enjoyable scheme ever.

"Alrighty, everyone!" Jesselin cheered, while Jane got the crowd clapping in anticipation for the song to be sung. Jessie even heard hoots come from a few nameless boys who appeared around the older twerp's age. Then again, Jesselin and Jane's schoolgirl uniforms were a bit short… _Ha! I AM a catch, aren't I? …Provided these perverts aren't hooting over Jane_… Whatever the case, the louder the party got, the better! "I'm sure you all, like, know this song I'm about to sing! So whenever you, like, get the groove, be sure to sing along…_as LOUD as you can_!" And since this would be Team Rocket's victory theme, what better song to sing than…

"_Pikachu! You know there is no other!_" Jessie sang, waving her microphone-free arm ecstatically. "_I choose you! Because you are my brother!_" Meanwhile, Jane encouraged all the kids to sing along, and especially to shout the lyrics "Pikachu!" and "I choose you!" The rowdier the party become, the more trouble that twerp was guaranteed.

* * *

><p>"Oh. My. God."<p>

I had to be dreaming, I just had to be! Part of me waited for that Jesselin girl to suddenly point to me and declare, "Smile, Ash! You're on _Candid Camerupt_!" The whole party felt like one big bad joke taking place in an even bigger and bad-er nightmare. Yup. If I closed my eyes and counted to ten, everything would vanish and I'd simply awaken from another stupid dream. Yup! One, two, three…

"_Pikachuu_!"

…Four, five, six…

"_I choose youu_!"

…Seven, eight! Nine! TEN!

Dammit.

To make matters more unbelievable than they already were, all the kids in my house started jumping up and down. Maybe I'm exaggerating, but I could've sworn I felt my house's foundation shake! And oh no, did I just hear something BREAK? Please tell me I'm just hearing things! Better yet, please tell me this is all just a dream! Pleeeease!

I'll admit, everybody was having a blast, and the karaoke singers were a hit. Heh, maybe I'm not so bad at arranging parties, after all! Who knew? The only teensy-weensy glitch in this party was that I wasn't responsible for it going out of control! Unfortunately, if Mom found out about this shindig, no doubt, she _would_ hold me responsible. If I wanted to live to see my next birthday, I knew I had better act fast.

But how could I get rid of so many people? Screaming at the top of my lungs would probably only encourage the crowd to make a bigger ruckus. Pikachu was outside with the other Pokemon, not that I intended to Thundershock a household of neighbors. I suppose I could attempt to wade through the sea of kids, try to reach the karaoke machine's microphone, and then make the grand announcement. Though to be honest, I was a little worried about how everybody might react upon realizing this party was a farce. I'd have enough trouble to face once Mom came home, so I sure didn't need an angry mob on my hands!

"Ash! This party is getting outta' hand!" Miraculously, I heard Brock holler over the crowd. Too bad for me, Brock's tone of voice wasn't cheerful, and he sounded a lot like I envisioned Mom to be once she got home. Thankfully, Brock currently had better things to do than chew me out. "I'm gonna' start telling people the party's being canceled due to the noise. We can't afford a visit from the cops."

I felt queasy when Brock mentioned cops, but he was right. The birthday party would get worse before it got better. At least I had Brock, who was willing to be my dependable big brother. Since many of the partygoers were around my age, they'd be more apt to listen to an older kid, opposed to someone like me. Plus, Brock said it himself that he supervised big parties for his siblings in Pewter City, so he must've had experience in settling down a crowd. Awesome! Good ol' Brock would save the day! I can always count on him!

"Hey!" I heard Brock call out to a nearby partier. "Excuse me, but the party's getting a little outta' hand, so I'm afraid we're gonna' have to…my, you're awfully pretty. What's your name?"

Waaaah! I should've known Brock was too good to be true!

"Did that MC girl just say...'Pallet-_PALOOZA'_?" Then out of nowhere, I heard Max exclaim incredulously. Somehow, the little kid managed to wiggle through the heated crowd, nearly stepped on by half a dozen taller kids jumping like maniacs. And thank God, Max' sister was right by his side, so I began to feel a little more secure in my friends' presences. Reaching me, Max fixed his tilted glasses before noting, "This is a birthday party, not some county fair!"

Likewise, May shrieked into my ringing ear, attempting to be heard over the screaming kids and the incredibly loud karaoke machine. "Ash, why in God's name would you invite this many people? Your house can barely fit them all!"

I nearly spat back a nasty, "No shit, May!" but chose not to say that uncalled-for comment. It wasn't May's fault that the party got nuts. Then again, this wasn't exactly _my_ fault, either! "I swear; I didn't invite all these people, you guys! I know I originally said I wanted to throw Misty a big party, but you've gotta' believe me! I didn't mean for any of this to happen!"

May and Max took a moment to size me up, trying to determine if I was telling the truth. I supposed I couldn't blame my friends' doubts, since I did make a fuss about initially throwing a huge party for Misty. Still, all of us had been best friends for a long time, so May and the others should've been able to tell whether or not I was lying. Of course, if I was proven innocent, then came the next question:

If I wasn't to blame for the party's explosion, then who _was_ responsible?

"Guys!" The three of us heard Tracey yell from some end of the noisy living room, though neither May, Max, or myself could see him. "Where's Misty?"

Then my heart plummeted to my stomach. "What do you mean, _'where's Misty'_?" I screamed in horror. Just what I needed; Misty disappears, never to be seen again! Then the police would arrest me for disturbing the peace _and_ for being the prime suspect in the disappearance of Cerulean City's Gym Leader. Could this night possibly get any worse? Oh yeah…I'd still have to face Mom, too, wouldn't I? Gyahh! I am so screwed!

"Last I saw her, Misty said she had to go to the bathroom," May replied to me, significantly relieving my worries. As long as Misty was okay, that's what mattered. "I'll go check on her."

Then May vanished, but the same couldn't be said for my worries. I certainly _hoped _Misty would be in the bathroom. Where else could she be? Then again, Misty could take care of herself. I knew I had my own problems to worry about, first and foremost: this outrageous party!

In fact, "party" was no longer a good word to describe the tornado that hit my home! My house was jam-packed with jumping kids, each one screaming – never actually "singing" – the lyrics to _Pikachu!_ The sing-along became one loud scream-fest. And on top of all that, none of these people were invited in the first place! And where in Lugia and Ho-Oh's name did this "Pallet-Palooza" idea come from? Is it just me, or has the whole freaking world gone NUTS? Mom's gonna' want my head on a silver platter–!

However, as concerned as I was for my own hide, I suddenly realized another major fiasco I had gotten into. Not only was this palooza gonna' get me into a crapload of trouble with Mom, but I had to remember _Misty_, too. This was meant to be her birthday party, and it somehow spiraled out of control. I promised Misty that she wouldn't be stressed out on her birthday, and look what happened! No wonder she fled to the bathroom. A party like this was the last thing Misty needed! And when Misty gets angry…

I guess Mom and Misty will have to fight over who gets my head. Uuurgh.

_"PIKACHU!"_

Oblivious to my problems, everybody else screamed, making me block my ears. I didn't think it was possible for the party to get any louder! What would I do if the cops rang my doorbell? Yeah, that's _just _what I needed: having Misty, Mom, _and_ the police on my ass! I was beyond screwed.

"Hey Ash!" Amazingly, I heard May shout from unknown depths of the crowd. I expected her to report the worst, but instead she called, "Misty's fine! But I can't find Max and Brock!"

In a crowd like this, it was easy for somebody to get lost. I hadn't even noticed Max' departure, but I had an idea where the kid went. Hearing a bunch of high-pitched squeals, I narrowed my eyes to a nearby group of girls gushing around Trinity. The only guy in Trinity's fanclub was Brock, ogling Trinity more so than her fangirls. And where a girl-crazy Brock went, Max and his ear-pulling followed. At least we knew where Brock and Max went.

Not needing to worry about Brock anymore, I refocused on Misty and her party. As long as Misty was fine, then I had no reason to worry about her…for now, anyway. My top priority was settling this party once and for all. Brock's attempt to stop the party failed, so it was my turn to step up to the plate. Thinking back, I suppose it was dumb of me to bet all my money on Brock solving this problem. It's not that I distrust Brock, but really, this was a mess _I_ had to clean up. It wasn't Brock's fault this party went crazy, but then again, it wasn't really my fault either…was it? But it was stupid to point fingers now. Like Mom said, I was the man of the house for the night, so I had to take responsibility.

_"I CHOOSE YOOOUUU!"_

But jeez! None of these screamers should ever pursue singing careers. My ears practically bled!

"There you are, Ash!"

Worse than eardrum-splitting screams, I heard a new voice…_Misty_'s. I wanted to hide under a rock. March comes like a lion, and so does Misty (except lions are _gentler_)! When she appeared from nowhere and placed a hand on my shoulder, I almost hit the ceiling! Oh God, here it comes! Misty's gonna' kill me! Somebody save me! Well…at least if Misty kills me, I won't have to suffer Mom's wrath. That's not too comforting, though.

"Ash Ketchum! This party is crazy!"

If there was ever a moment when I undoubtedly, no questions asked, honest-to-God believed I was gonna' drop dead, that was the time! I was the unfortunate victim lying helpless in the fiery lion's jaws. I should've listened to Brock and the others in the first place. Better than anyone, I knew Misty took her birthdays to heart. It was her special day, after all! She wanted a stress-free party, and look what I did! And to whoever dared ruin Misty's birthday, they'd suffer the grisly fate of…

At the moment, dropping dead was my best option.

Mercy! _Mercy! MERCY!_

But for some strange reason…as paranoid as I felt towards Misty, I knew I had to face the music. No, not the blaring karaoke music. I had to face Misty once and for all. Sure, I was hyperventilating, and I knew I was in for a rough punishment, but running away wasn't a choice. All along, I wanted to prove to Mom and everybody else that I was grown-up enough to accept responsibility. Now was my chance to prove myself. And who knows? Maybe if I handled my punishment like a man, Misty might be impressed and go easy on me.

…Nah.

"Ash! Are you ignoring me?"

It was now or never. For the first time in a year, Misty and I reunited. The circumstances were anything but perfect, but a part of me was still happy to be with her again. But (long) before any semi-boyfriend/girlfriend stuff could happen, I had to turn around, face Misty, and explain myself. I owed it to her.

Biting my lip and bracing myself, I lifted my head to look her in the eye. "Misty...I'm sorr–"

And there she was: the blue-eyed, orange-haired fireball who knew the one and only secret to shutting my mouth. Misty did not even need to say anything to leave me speechless. Just her being there, by my side once again, was more than enough for me. No thanks to this Pallet-Palooza, I knew I couldn't let myself get sidetracked, but still…

…I've missed Misty. We've been separated before, but now that we're practically a couple…it's hard to explain, but…I've really missed her, more than ever.

"Ash?"

But me missing Misty wasn't the case right now. After tonight's fiasco, I'd be lucky if I saw Misty ever again! I'd better start groveling. A simple "sorry" wouldn't cut it…right?

Then again, if "sorry" wasn't good enough, why was Misty not pummeling me? Why was she not screaming her head off? Why was she not tearing me limb for limb? Why was I complaining? Even so, Misty wasn't the type of person to let me off the hook so easily. Was she just delaying the inevitable? Oh great. Here's what's worse than a death by Misty: a death by Misty…that's slow and painful…very, very painful.

"I know I told you that I wanted a mellow party, Ash."

I swallowed, though my gulp probably wasn't heard over my house's ruckus. Frankly, I barely heard the gulp, myself, because my heart was pounding in my ears. Any minute now, I'd be a dead man. My life flashed before my eyes…er, well, okay, that's an exaggeration, but something _did_ flash before my eyes. Maybe it was a partier's arm flailing in the air, or some dancing girl's ponytail swishing around, or Misty's…

…_Waitasec'!_

Apparently, Misty knocked me senseless before I knew it. That would've explained why I was suddenly hallucinating. Why _else_ would I be seeing Misty _not_ murdering me? Why else would Misty's body be bouncing up and down to the music's rhythm? Why else would she be…_smiling_…? Oh yup, I had to have been dreaming! There was no way I was lucky enough to survive the night unscathed. In any second, I was due for a serious (and painful) reality check.

But sure enough, my hallucination continued to dance. "I had a feeling you wouldn't listen to me, Ash," Misty chuckled, flashing a surprisingly mischievous grin towards my star-struck face. "This definitely wouldn't be the first time I've told you to do something, while you've done the exact opposite. Same old Ash Ketchum."

Too dazed to know better, I couldn't tell if Misty was scolding me or praising me. Perhaps she was doing both. Either way, I was still breathing, so I decided to count my blessings for as long as they lasted. Just because Misty didn't kill me immediately didn't mean I was safe. For all I knew, she was saving my punishment for later, after the guests/witnesses left. My stomach started to churn all over again.

Twirling around once, Misty's ponytail gently swatted her cheek before the girl finally faced me eye-to-eye. Sometimes, looking into Misty's angry eyes was as scary as looking into her Gyarados' eyes. I almost fell to my knees to beg for forgiveness, but then I noticed her aqua eyes didn't resemble a Gyarados' whatsoever! My eyes must've been wide enough to resemble softballs, which might explain why Misty laughed at my goofy expression.

"I didn't lie when I said I was tired and I wanted a simple shindig," Misty admitted. Bracing myself, I prepared for the painful punch line. "And this party is a little over-the-top for my tastes." Oh God, here it comes!

"But this wouldn't be the first time you've gone overboard, either, Ash. I'm not an idiot, you know. After all these years, I've come to expect _something_ unexpected to happen whenever you throw me a birthday party." Then with a coy tilt of her head, Misty paused for a second. "But…"

Not expecting to hear those words, I blinked. "But" tended to be a very small, but very dangerous word. "But" what? Was Misty about to say, "But…I hate you"? "But…you're the biggest moron I've ever met!" "But…this is the _last_ birthday party you'll ever mess up, Ash Ketchum, because we are THROUGH! NOW YOU DIIEEE!" The list of possibilities was endless, and I was starting to miss the old fashioned thrashing.

"But…" repeated Misty, while I frantically started formulating a lame apology in my mind. If Misty was about to break up with me, I didn't want to go down without a fight. Mark my words; I'd fight for Misty, even if I'm not the most impressive semi-boyfriend on Earth.

Tilting her head coyly, Misty then offered me a smile I never expected. It wasn't a teasing smile, or a cruel grin, or anything negative. Her smile was so gentle and warm. At that moment, I felt both calmed and undeniably confused…especially when I felt her hand unexpectedly lace with mine.

"But that's why I always look forward to your birthday parties, Ash. No matter how silly, messy, or downright ridiculous your parties can get sometimes…my birthday wouldn't be the same without one."

I couldn't believe it. The only thing I knew for certain was that I was in dire need of _waking up_! Everything had to be a dream. Everything! Pallet-Palooza was a nightmare, and Misty's words were just figments of my imagination (traumatized by whatever lethal weapon[s] Misty chose to punish me). Maybe I'm already dead. But wait a minute; if this is Heaven…it sure isn't what I expected Heaven to look like. Or does that mean I went to Hell? Uh-oh. Aaw, come' on! Do I really deserve to go to Hell? I know I'm not perfect, my birthdays suck, and I've attracted trouble a few times (er, okay, _many_ times), but _still_–!

Somewhere between my mind rambling between Heaven, Hell, and a bunch of other paranoid idiocies, I somehow managed to return to planet Earth. Well, actually, it was Misty who regained my attention, pulling my hand to draw me into a surprise hug. The last time we hugged, the two of us were giddy. But this time, Misty's hug felt tighter and more genuine. She felt so warm and soft, too…in a _good_ way, not a naughty way.

In the blink of an eye, I forgot all about the crowd of people romping around my living room. No longer did I hear the mirror-cracking sing-along. Just as soon as I returned to Earth, I felt like Misty and I left for another world. It was the first time since Pallet-Palooza began that I felt at peace.

"Come' on, Ash! Let's dance! It's my birthday, after all!"

I still felt and looked like somebody knocked the wind out of me. However, I could never ignore Misty whenever she told me to do something "because it's my birthday." As I felt Misty yank my arm again, I found my feet moving against my will. Misty controlled me like a puppet, but I wasn't exactly resisting, either. Even if Misty's new party went wild, the birthday girl was happy. Misty's face was practically glowing, and I wasn't stupid enough to spoil her special day. As long as Misty was happy, that was the only thing that mattered to me. It felt unbelievable that she forgave me, and maybe I was going insane after all, but…

…No. I wasn't crazy. Misty confirmed that the moment I felt her soft lips against my flushed cheek.

"Dance with me, Ash? Pretty please?"

Hehe…how could I say no?

* * *

><p>As every second passed, Operation: Pallet-Palooza got better and better. Even Jessie never expected tonight's heist to go so beautifully. Not only were the Pallet Town kiddies hypnotized by Jessie's (self-proclaimed) siren's voice, but now the twerp was indisposed. Ash's little girlfriend was unintentionally providing the ideal distraction! While the lovebirds became lost in their pubescent fairytale, now was the chance Team Rocket needed to finish what they started.<p>

Towards the end of Jesselin's fifth song, Meowth's voice buzzed in across her and Jane's headsets.

"_We're good ta' go, Jess! You and Jimmy beta' exit stage left."_

Thus came Team Rock-On's grand finale. All Jessie and James needed to do was escape the Ketchum house without being noticed. Unfortunately, the MC already attracted a considerable amount of attention. Perish the thought of encouraging the public to take their eyes off the one and only Jessie. Nevertheless, the redhead chose to swallow her pride for the sake of a bathtub filled with money…_or maybe a swimming pool full of money, or an aquarium-full? _Well, maybe Giovanni would not pay _that_ much, but Jessie knew tonight's Pokemon haul would boggle the boss' mind! If Meowth succeeded in springing the traps set in the Ketchums' backyard, then all Jessie and James needed to do was sneak away and bring all those Pokemon to headquarters. _Promotion here we come!_ Jessie just needed something to distract the partygoers long enough for her and James to flee unnoticed. _But how can I 'possibly' force people to look away from a stunning specimen like myself, huh?_

The ultimate distractions were dancing arm-in-arm before Jessie's eyes.

"And now, palooza-partiers!" Jesselin announced, poorly hiding the evil smirk tugging her lipstick. "Like, let's all take a moment to wish the birthday gal a totally happy birthday!"

Following Jessie's lead, Jane immediately pointed a painted fingernail in Misty's direction, exaggeratingly shrieking, "_Coooooool_!"

And just like the idiots they were, the Pallet Town kids promptly followed Jane's finger to Misty. Variations of "Happy birthday!" wishes flooded the living room, but most were lost once snickers, oohs, and aaws overtook everything. Because, of course, once everybody gawked at Misty, they also gawked at Misty locked arm-in-arm with her boyfriend. Since the majority of the partygoers barely graduated from the kooties stage, 90% of the room started immaturely snorting over two certain people "sitting in a tree." Never before had Jessie and James seen the twerp and twerpette blush so brightly! If it was possible to die by embarrassment, the twerp was on his deathbed!

As much as Jessie wished she had a camera to keepsake tonight's classic moments, she and James had to move. Once the kids began incessantly chiming, "K-I-S-S-I-N-G," the karaoke machine was no longer needed. Nobody noticed the machine get unplugged, nor did they notice the schoolgirls slither downstairs, tiptoeing to the front door. By the time everybody sang the verse mentioning "baby carriage" (which almost drove Ash to keel over), Team Rock-On was long gone.

After slapping each other a high-five, Jessie and James high-tailed it across the Ketchums' yard, reunited with Meowth, grabbed their nets, and went on their merry way.

"WE'VE FINALLY DONE IT!"

* * *

><p>I felt as though I was reliving Gary Oak's infamous ninth birthday party all over again. Everybody was pointing fingers and laughing at my humiliation! Except this time, I was teased for being Misty's semi-boyfriend. Not that there's anything to be ashamed of, since I'm proud to have a girlfriend like Misty.<p>

Still, our relationship really hadn't gotten far, never mind _public_, so I definitely wasn't used to people gawking at Misty and I being "lovebirds." This type of attention was new to me, and it was a little awkward. Besides, having a bunch of immature kids singing "Ash and Misty sitting in a tree" wasn't the most flattering of songs. And oh God, did they just mention something about Misty and me getting MARRIED? Having BABIES? _Aaaah_! Babies means sex! Eeeeeew! No! No! I'm not ready for all that! I can barely handle Misty kissing me! Oh please, Brock, May, Max, Tracey…SOMEBODY! Make it stop! Make these kids stop teasing us! I don't wanna' be the laughing stock of Pallet again. And worse, what if Misty gets offended?

"Ha. Ha. Very funny, everybody." Somehow, I heard Misty chime, managing to get everyone's attention and stop the sing-along. To my surprise, Misty didn't seem overly fazed by the mass teasing, and she sure seemed to know how to handle herself when people ganged up on her. Then again, Misty's the youngest of four sisters, so she probably has tons of experience dealing with people picking on her. Unlocking her arms from mine, the redhead haughtily placed her hands on her hips, making light of the matter and not letting the teases get the best of her. Heh, I guess I should take notes, huh? "But don't you guys know you shouldn't tease the birthday girl?"

"Who says we're teasing _you_?" I grinded my teeth when I heard Kyle snort his two cents.

Even more to my surprise, I noticed Misty frown upon hearing Kyle's big mouth. She started looking around the room for the smart-aleck hidden in the crowd. Strange. I figured Misty might get pissed over somebody making fun of _her_, but she seemed irked by Kyle tormenting _me_. I dunno why, but I felt a little better knowing – after all the years Misty picked on me – she didn't seem to like somebody else mocking her semi-boyfriend. Not to say I need a girl to defend me (hell no!), but…well, I can't say I disliked it, either.

Unable to find the unfamiliar Pallet Town bully, Misty shrugged off Kyle's words as her eyes wandered across the room. "Whatever…" she mumbled, though her voice trailed when she paused before the living room staircase. Only then did I also notice the sudden vacancy, and the absence of the MCs and their insanely loud karaoke machine.

Blinking, I wondered the obvious. "Uh, where'd those schoolgirls go?"

"Beats me," Misty shrugged, along with everybody else in my parlor. Figures, the moment the live entertainment vanished, the partygoers started whining. Of course, when a large group of people begins to get anxious, trouble follows. Maybe it was a good opportunity for me to finally kick everybody out of my house. Although, if these kids' moods were already soured, it wouldn't take much for my party to turn into a riot. I had to somehow get everybody out of my house, while also keeping the peace. _Man, I've really got my work cut out for me._

"Does this mean the party's already over?" I heard Dena ask, which I almost immediately answered…

"That's IT?" Well, I almost told Dena the party was over, until Kyle's booming voice started ranting from behind me. "This shindig's done? Whatta' lame party, Ketchum!"

I didn't appreciate hearing my party get called "lame," especially after all the effort my friends and I put into this bash. However, I couldn't afford to be picky. This was the opportunity I needed to force everyone to leave my house before Mom came home. So what if Kyle and the others thought the party was too short? I'd have bigger things to worry about if Mom walked in on the crowd stuffed my living room.

"Tch! Screw this! I'm outta' here! Let's blow this joint."

Actually, for once in his life, Kyle's attitude came in handy for me. I didn't even have to tell people to leave my house. Since most neighborhood kids either followed or feared Red-haired Redfield, if Kyle claimed a party was worth leaving, the rest of the kids obeyed like Mareep. As quickly as they came, the palooza partygoers headed for my back door to recollect their Pokemon. The crowd left so soon that it seemed almost too easy for me! _Awesome!_

"H-hey! Wait a minute…! What's going on here?"

…_Huh?_

Before I could celebrate, denim-wearing Dena came running back into my living room. "Ash, thought you said the Pokemon were being kept in your backyard."

Blinking, I exchanged a curious gaze with Misty. I barely noticed Brock, May, and my other immediate friends gather behind me, wondering the exact same thing. "Um, yeah," I nodded uncertainly. Call me crazy, but I could've sworn I already told the partiers, "The Pokemon were supposed to be kept in their Pokeballs, or left outside."

Dena didn't seem satisfied with my answer. In fact, as more and more people returned to my living room, I noticed that Dena was not the only person wearing a displeased expression. "Oh really?" she huffed sarcastically. "Cause' there aren't any Pokemon out there anymore!"

It would be a miracle if I survived the night without suffering a heart attack. This birthday party stuff is gonna' be the death of me. My eyes bugging out all over again, I almost jumped out of my skin when I (and all my other friends) screamed, "WHAT?"

"Don't 'what' me, Ash Ketchum!" growled Dena, pointing an accusing finger at my nose. "I don't know what's going on here, but I want my Zigzagoon back right now!"

"Yeah, and my brother and I want our Nidoran and Sentret, too!" Lamar added next to Rocky…or whatever his name was. I had way more important things to worry about, especially when the living room suddenly blared…

"_KETCHUM_! Where the hell's my Charmeleon?" I didn't even have an opportunity to explain myself before Pallet Town's best-known thug grabbed me by my collar. Kyle's a lot taller, bigger, and stronger than me, so he had no trouble instilling the fear of God into me. I was destined for a bloody nose (or worse) if I didn't explain myself on the double!

Sweating bullets, I tried not to make any sudden movements and pulled myself together. I swear, guys like Kyle can smell a person's fear. "Guys, guys! Easy!" I gasped, attempting to maintain my voice while Kyle's hand remained dangerously close to my windpipe. "I honestly don't know what's going on, but whatever it is, I'll get to the bottom of it."

"Yeah, you'd _better_!" threatened Kyle, raising his free hand and balling it into a fist for my benefit. Even if I gulped soundly, a part of me couldn't blame Kyle's anger. He's a jerk, but like everybody else, Kyle was ultimately concerned about his Pokemon. For all I knew, Charmeleon was Kyle's very first Pokemon, and if anything bad happened to Pikachu, I'd overreact, too. "If there's just one scratch on my Charmeleon, Ketchum, it'll be _your_ funeral!"

"There won't be any funeral on _my_ birthday, pal!"

And just like a guardian angel with fiery wings, Misty stormed between Kyle and me, releasing my collar in the process. No doubt, Misty's got a _lot_ of experience handing bullies, and damn, she wasn't afraid to knock Kyle off his high horse. Few kids in Pallet Town dared to take on Redfield, but Misty is Misty. Sure, having a girl bail me out didn't make me look all that good, but it was better than Kyle beating the crap out of me. One consolation: Kyle doesn't hit girls, but Misty's got no problem hitting boys (I speak from experience). In the time it took for Misty to shove Kyle out of my face, I gained a whole new respect for my semi-girlfriend. If only Misty were around when I was little. Right then and there, I wanted to give Misty the biggest hug!

Not only did Misty keep Kyle at bay, but she managed to get through to the other angry guests in my house. Dena, Lamar, Rugby, and everybody else were less obvious than Kyle, but the bottom line was clear: I had a houseful of robbed (and very angry) kids. But before the case of the mysteriously missing Pokemon could be solved, everybody needed to calm down.

"Listen up, everyone! We all heard what Ash just said!" Misty barked like a drill sergeant, proving Kyle wasn't the only redhead with the power to instill the fear of God. Ha! That's my girl! "Ash Ketchum keeps his word. If he says he's gonna' get to the bottom of this, he _will_! The more people who help, the better. We'll find the Pokemon as soon you stop bitching and start _looking_!"

While I watched Misty with wide-eyed awe, the rest of the Pallet partiers appeared wide-eyed with terror. My neighborhood got a crash-course in what it's like when Misty shows her scary-Gyarados-side. Birthday girl or not, don't ever mess with Misty! I'm _definitely_ gonna' have to give her an appreciative hug after this mess is cleaned up.

Even so, I didn't want Misty to do all of my fighting for me. Freed from Kyle and standing on my own two feet, I finally addressed the crowd. "Don't worry, everyone. I swear that I'll get all of your Pokemon back," I promised sincerely, tightening a fist to seal the deal. "The party hasn't lasted too long, so wherever the Pokemon went, they couldn't have gotten far. But Misty's right; we stand a better chance finding them if we hurry and work together."

One thing you can almost always count on: trainers put their Pokemon first. Nobody in my house objected to the search. Even though Kyle grunted, "Tch!" alongside some cusses, he still didn't waste time springing into action. Everyone divided into search parties and quickly exited my house. Well, I suppose I did manage to get everybody out of my house, after all…though this wasn't exactly what I had in mind.

However, once the majority of palooza-fans left, only then did I finally notice the _disaster_ they left behind! My living room…oh God…it was a shambles! Garbage, half-eaten food, crumbs, popcorn, napkins, cups, plates…so many things covered Mom's once-perfect carpet. There were even cake pieces scattered about, and I hadn't even noticed when Brock brought out Mom's cake! Did Misty even have a chance to try it? Oh no…don't tell me the partygoers raided my kitchen! The living room looked disastrous, so I wasn't brave enough to check the condition the kitchen (along with the rest of my house).

Worse yet, I didn't have time to survey all the damage – or even clean up the mess – because I had to help find the Pokemon. How the hell was I supposed to search Pallet Town _and_ clean up my house before Mom came home?

Before I could start panicking again, Brock's bellow snapped me out of my horrified daze. "Ash! Misty! You two go on ahead and find the Pokemon!" he ordered, not leaving any room for discussion as he dashed to the nearby broom closet. Tearing it open, Brock immediately tossed cleaning supplies to Tracey, May, and Max. Casey, Sakura, Trinity, and Marina even volunteered to help, despite being guests. The more people helping, the sooner my house would be restored. "We'll stay here and start cleaning up this place."

In a way, I guess Brock did try to help save the day, after all. Ha! I knew I could count on him! Smiling ear-to-ear, I nodded appreciatively to the friends who'd always be there to bail me out. "Thanks, you guys! I owe ya one!" Hell, I owed them a _lot_ more than just 'one,' but we could tally the score later. First things first, there were Pokemon in need of rescuing.

Nodding to each other, Misty and I then made a mad-dash for the opened front door…

"Well, well, helluva party you must be having if everyone's _evacuating_, eh, Ashy Boy?"

My sneakers squealed to a halt, almost sending me face-first onto the floor. Regaining my balance, I felt my jaw drop the moment I saw _him_ standing at my doorstep. HIM! I needed him like I needed a hole in my head!

"Get lost, Gary!" I snapped, hardly believing that spiky-haired jerk had the nerve to show his puss tonight. Ever since the other day, I feared Gary might pull something on Misty's birthday, but…

_Wait a second..._

My brown eyes widening, a light bulb clicked in the back of my mind. "Waitasecond!" I exclaimed, loudly enough to make Gary flinch. As random as Gary's cameo felt, in the back of my mind, I _knew_ why my rival crashed the party. "You're behind this, aren't you? You're behind all of this 'Pallet-Palooza' crap, aren't you, Gary Oak?"

To Gary's credit, he did a great job of hiding his guiltiness. The guy almost looked like he had no clue what I was talking about. Yeah right! Regaining his cocky demeanor, Gary casually strolled to a nearby table, helping himself to a slice of cake. _Hey! That's Misty's cake, you dirtbag!_

"Oh please, Ash," Gary huffed before forking the chocolate confection into his mouth. "We all know I'm not capable of concocting a mess like this! That's _your _specialty–"

"_Are _you behind this?" Then it was Misty's turn to interrogate Gary. Ironically, she kept her temper under control, while I was livid enough to rip apart my damned rival. Noticing my fuming, Misty gently placed her hands on my shoulders, although her touch only dissolved a fraction of my fury. "This is my birthday party, so you'd better tell me the truth, Gary."

Gary seemed to listen to Misty, although he was still _pretending_ to be innocent. That jerk was not gonna' fool me again! Swallowing, Gary replied, "If I'm 'behind this,' then don't you think it's weird that I also got an invitation to this palooza thing, hmm?"

I blinked. "What do you mean 'you got an invitation'? I already told you; you're not invited, Gary!" Jeez, doesn't anybody listen to me? By now, the guy was dangerously testing my patience. "How the hell'd _you _get an invitation?"

Gary shrugged, stuffing a hand into his pocket and pulling out a small card, shoving it in my furious face. "Read it and weep, Ash!"

The card almost ripped when I snatched it from Gary. Not a second later, my face paled, my mouth and eyes widened, and my heart sank. In my hand was a familiar, Dragonair-designed invitation reading "You're Invited!" Against all odds, Gary did receive an invitation to Misty's party, but _how_? Days ago, I made my opinions known regarding Gary at Misty's party. My friends wouldn't invite Gary behind my back. I sure hoped Mom didn't secretly invite Gary, because she had no business doing so.

But before I blamed anyone, I opened the card. As soon as it was unfolded, I felt as though someone punched me in my gut. Surely, I must've been dreaming! There was no other explanation for why Gary received an invitation. More disturbingly, Gary's card looked different than the invitations May and Max made. Instead, the card read:

**_You're invited to:_**

**_"Pallet-Palooza!"_**

**_Pallet Town's ultimate party extravaganza, free for kids of all ages!_**

**_Enjoy lots of music, food, and fun at this neighborhood-friendly bash._**

**_Bring your friends!_**

**_Bring your Pokemon!_**

"Who the hell concocted this 'Pallet-Palooza' stuff?" I exclaimed, almost tearing up the card before Misty grabbed it and showed it to Brock and the others. No. I didn't want to tear apart the card…but I did want to tear apart _somebody_! After everything that went wrong tonight, I was reaching my limit.

Peering over Misty's shoulder, May gasped at what she read. "That's definitely not one of the inscriptions Max and I wrote!"

"Is it possible that somebody sabotaged the invitations?" Max wondered incredulously. "I mean, how desperate would a person have to be to sabotage a simple birthday party?"

Tracey was equally skeptical. "I'm not sure, but this probably explains why so many extra people showed up."

Clearing my name, I defended my honor. "I _told_ you guys that I didn't invite them!"

Thankfully, my friends didn't doubt me anymore. However, I was still far from out of the woods. If I didn't invite the extra people, and May and Max didn't write these palooza invitations, then who _did_?

"What I'd like to know is why are people confusing this 'Pallet-Palooza' with Misty's party?" wondered Brock. "Remember? When everybody arrived, they each wished Misty a happy birthday. How'd they all know it was her birthday?"

"Read on," Gary encouraged, using his chocolate-smeared fork to point at the bottom of the card. Below my house address, a little blurb read:

**_One night only!_**

**_Special appearance by one of Cerulean City's famous Sensational Sisters:_**

**_Misty!_**

**_Be sure to wish her a happy birthday for your chance to mingle with a celebrity!_**

I was right; Misty was much more popular than I expected. And when it came to a small, no-man's-land place like Pallet Town, celebrities were rare. Professor Oak was awesome, but people liked to meet other celebrities once in a while, too. Other than the professor, Pallet Town was celebrity-free. Misty's my friend, so I never thought twice about her visits. But in the eyes of other townspeople who only saw celebrities on TV, it was a pretty big deal if people like Misty visited Pallet Town. Plus, young celebrities like Misty tended to attract a younger crowd, and that was exactly the type of crowd that got invited to Pallet-Palooza.

"You...have _got _to be kidding me," I stammered, trembling in both fury and horror.

Reclaiming his invitation, Gary poorly controlled a series of snickers. If the guy was trying to prove his innocence, he wasn't fooling me. With each of Gary's chuckles, I felt my blood rise higher and higher. There was absolutely nothing funny about this!

"Heheh, sounds to me like somebody set you up big time, Ash…" my rival snorted, locking his narrowed blue eyes with my widening browns. But before I could reply, Gary pierced another piece of cake with his fork. "…Just like last time, remember?" he sneered, bending back the fork like a slingshot to gently flick the cake between my blinking eyes.

_Just like…'last time'?_

Maybe I wasn't the sharpest person on earth, but I immediately remembered the 'last time' cake went flying during a birthday party. "Y-you…" my mouth stuttered, barely grasping what Gary finally admitted to doing on his ninth birthday. All this time, I was blamed for that food fight, I was ridiculed, punished…and why? Because the birthday brat framed me! And now, as if Gary's ninth party was not humiliating enough, he also ruined Misty's party, too!

"You…"

At that moment, all I wanted to do was wipe that devilish smirk off Gary Oak's face.

"You _sonuvabitch_!"

I don't know how, but Brock managed to grab me before I lunged at Gary like an animal. And because Brock's a lot stronger than me, there wasn't much I could do except flail in his arms like a Magikarp. But I didn't want to be restrained. I wanted to give Gary what he deserved!

"Cool it, Ash!" Brock yelled into my ear. "We don't know if Gary's behind tonight's mess!"

"_Of course_ he's behind this!" I retorted, poorly fighting Brock's grip. Even Kyle wasn't as strong as Brock, but that didn't mean I was willing to back down and let Gary off the hook. Pointing a finger at my rival, I blasted, "I told you guys about that food fight, and this jerk was behind the whole thing! He knew all along, but he still made me take the rap!"

"Oh, boo-hoo, Ash. Get over it, already!" countered Gary, shaking his head as though he couldn't believe I was still hung-up on that idiotic party. Why _shouldn_'t I? "Sorry to disappoint you, but I didn't have anything to do with this Pallet-Palooza fling."

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that?" I shot back.

"Gary did get invitation, Ash," Brock noted, attempting to judge this argument in an unbiased way.

I, on the other hand, was ready to find Gary guilty as charged. "So what if he got an invitation? Gary's cagey enough to make himself an invitation just to look innocent!"

"Ash, hold your horses!" I heard Misty shout, once again jumping into the fire, just like when she saved me from Kyle. Standing between me and Gary, Misty seized the debated card, ripping it open to flash its insides to me. "I just realized something at the bottom of the card." I wasn't in the mood to see that blasted invitation again, but Misty demanded I, "Read it!"

**_Entertainment provided by MC Jesselin and Jane!_**

"So?" I snapped at her. I could care less about those ditsy St. Anne schoolgirls.

Misty gave me an exaggerated look. "_Hello_! 'Jesselin and Jane'! Don't those names sound a _tad _familiar? And isn't it a little convenient that all of our Pokemon suddenly went _missing_, too? Is this ringing any bells, Ash?"

Leave it to Misty to solve a puzzle before anyone else. I still don't know how she solved all of Blaine's riddles on Cinnibar Island. Seriously, his riddles were really tough, and Misty figured them out before Brock and I stood a chance. Are _all_ girls smarter than boys, or is Misty just 'super-girl,' or something? But I could marvel Misty's awesomeness later.

It finally dawned on me. If my arms hadn't been restrained by Brock, I would've slapped my forehead. How could I have been so stupid? "Jesselin" and "Jane"? It seemed so obvious!

"Of course..." I grumbled, no longer wanting to wring Gary's neck. Instead, I wanted to wring the necks of "...Team Rocket!"

* * *

><p>"Fifty-one, fifty-two…fifty-<em>threeeee<em>! Heheheehehe! Dat's more Pokemon dan' we expected!" Meowth laughed, counting the last of the Pokemon in Team Rocket's giant cage. "Fiftey-three Pokemon, and we did nothin' but singin' and dancin'! Haha!"

A while had passed since Team Rocket escaped Pallet-Palooza. The gang's makeshift base camp was located on the outskirts of the Oak ranch. By the late hour, all of the professor's Pokemon were inside for the night. Townspeople wouldn't bother wandering out into the boonies of Pallet Town, either. Once the palooza Pokemon were caged and counted, Jessie, James, and Meowth would attach the cage to their rocket-propelled balloon and head straight for Viridian headquarters. Giovanni was in for the surprise of his life!

"Heh! We should keep dis 'Team Rock-On' charade goin'!" suggested Meowth, turning to his partners in crime. By now, Jesselin and Jane had washed off their makeup and reverted to their Rocket uniforms. Frankly, Meowth was relieved to see James back in pants. "We could become da musical bandits!"

"_Ooooh_!" James gushed. "That has a nice ring to it!"

Jessie did not seem to mind Meowth's idea, either. "See?" she piped up, strolling over and patting the karaoke machine next to the Pokemon cage. While the small animals threw a tantrum against their prison's reinforced bars, Jessie beamed victoriously. "I told you this machine would be a good investment, even if it did cost us next month's paycheck! This Pokemon haul will more than easily make up for it."

"You were right, Jess!" Meowth agreed for once. "Dat' was da' best investment eva'!"

"And best of all, we _finally_ got Pikachu!" James proclaimed to the world, grabbing a special shock-proof net made for the electric rat. Tossing the net to Jessie, the violet-haired Rocket approached the karaoke machine. "So let's celebrate Team Rocket's greatest triumph! I've gotta' few CD's, the machine has back-up battery, and I think we've got one more bottle of vodka in the balloon. I snatched a few party snacks when the twerps weren't looking, too."

"Now ya talkin', Jimbo! Victories like dis' come once in a lifetime, so let's live it up!" cheered Meowth, blinking away joyous tears pricking his eyes. "Afta' all these years, our hard woirk finally paid off! Just wait till' da boss finds out! I'll be top cat again!"

_"We'll be the richest rogues of all time!"_

Meowth and Jessie perking, they turned to where James stood with a karaoke microphone in hand. Never before had the Team Rocket trio felt so elated, and James' wide smile effortlessly provoked Jessie's. How many years had they waited for this night? In a way, it almost felt too good to be true; a fantasy turned reality.

Seeing the glow in James' emerald eyes attracted Jessie to his side, sharing the microphone and happy to sing Team Rocket's victory song. _"Creators, of a grand desiign!"_

_"I'll be the king!" _James dramatically declared.

_"I'll be the queen!"_ Jessie added with equal gusto, holding Pikachu's net like a trophy.

_"I'll be da' joker!"_ Meowth added, hopping on their shoulders to get some mike-time. _"...Of criime!"_

* * *

><p>"Do you hear...<em>music<em>, Ash?" I heard Misty ask as both of us stopped. Granted, I had been hearing music all night, and I wouldn't have been the least bit surprised if my ears were still ringing (or bleeding).

However, unlike earlier, Misty and I were currently _outside_, near Professor Oak's ranch, no less. Pallet-Palooza was long gone. Few townspeople bothered going this far south during the late hours of the night. But I refused to overlook an area where the Pokemon thieves might be hiding. Nobody else from the party reported the whereabouts of our Pokemon, so Team Rocket was still on the run. And knowing those crooks, they could be anywhere. The longer this search took, the further Jessie, James, and Meowth might run.

Still, that didn't explain why I heard music way out in the nighttime boonies. "Yeah. I do hear music," I nodded, frowning strangely. The only time music played at the Oak ranch was during one of the professor's barbeques…which are incredible, but I didn't have time to drool over Professor Oak's mind-blowing burgers. I had to find Pikachu and everyone else's Pokemon! "But why's music playing?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, but it sure is fishy," frowned Misty, both of us putting two-and-two together. We had plenty of experience to know that funny business almost always equaled Team Rocket.

Practically reading each other's minds, Misty and I nodded and dashed towards the music. When the ruffled long grass made too much noise, the two of us slowed down to a gentler sprint, not wanting to attract negative attention. Even though our instincts told us Team Rocket was nearby, we didn't want to alert the thieves to our presences, nor attract wild night-crawling Pokemon. I just hoped we were headed in the right direction…

_"Prepare for trouble!"_

_"Make it double!"_

Luckily, it's never too tough to find Team Rocket. Stopping and dropping, Misty and I snaked through the grass, creeping towards Jessie, James, and Meowth's camp. The moment we saw the tell-tale karaoke machine, 'Jesselin' and 'Jane' were busted. And sure enough, there was a large cage crammed with familiar Pokemon. Jessie had Pikachu caught in a net, too.

I averted my eyes when a quiet snicker came from Misty. "Just like last year," she muttered, remembering when Team Rocket pulled the same stunt at the Petalburg party. Grinning, Misty plucked a Pokeball from her belt, and I had a sinking suspicion which Pokemon she chose.

Only then did I realize Misty never released her Pokemon back at my house…but I wasn't so fortunate. Since Mom laid down the law regarding Pokemon at Misty's party, I didn't bother carrying Pokeballs around tonight. And Pikachu was already in Jessie's possession… "Dammit," I hissed, realizing I recklessly chased after Team Rocket without arming myself.

Thankfully, Misty always watched my back. "You handle the cage, while I go give Team Rocket their parting gifts," she winked cutely, before running off ahead.

Blinking, I suddenly noticed myself admiring the red-haired heroine all over again. Usually, I was the one who ran ahead to save the day, so I never really had an opportunity to stand back and realize that my friends were damn good heroes, themselves. Back then, maybe I was a little too brash and full of myself to notice. But now, watching Misty dash off like that…

_When this fiasco is over, I'm definitely gonna' give Misty something special for her troubles._

Still singing obliviously, Jessie rejoiced, _"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!" _

_"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"_ James sang, clasping his partner's hand.

_"Dat's right!"_ Meowth finished in a grand finale, overdramatically leaping off of his partner's shoulders...

...And nearly flew into Misty!

"Oh no! _TWOIRPS_!" Meowth screamed, retreating to Jessie and James' safety.

Dropping the microphone, James exclaimed, "How did they find us?"

Silently eying the still-booming karaoke machine, Misty just rolled her eyes.

"Who cares?" ranted Jessie, before grappling onto Pikachu's net as though her life depended on it. While James grabbed his Pokeballs, the woman defended, "There's no way we're gonna' let you brats spoil our plans this time!"

Not intimidated by Jessie's threat, Misty showcased her own Pokeball. But unlike James', Misty's Pokeball was ten times more intimidating. In a flash of white light, the Team Rocket trio shrieked bloody murder once they saw their reflections in Gyarados' pearly whites. Even in the absence of water, the water dragon could put up a decent fight – or better yet, just scare the crap out of its enemies.

"And there's no way I'm gonna' let you morons spoil my birthday again, either!" replied Misty, lovingly peering up at her ferocious water beast. "Right, Gyarados?"

The Atrocious Pokemon roared proudly, loudly enough to mute the karaoke machine and drive the Rockets to throw their arms around each other in a fearful hug. Too bad for Jessie, throwing her arms around James caused her to accidentally drop Pikachu's net. That was where I came in.

Thanks to Misty's distraction, Team Rocket never expected me to jump out from behind their giant cage. "And there's no way we're gonna' let you get away with all these Pokemon!" Before they knew what hit them, Pikachu escaped the dropped net and zipped to my side. While the crooks were blindsided, it was the perfect chance to set the stolen Pokemon free. "Use Iron Tail to break open the cage, Pikachu!"

"And Gyarados, send Team Rocket packing with Hyperbeam!" Misty commanded, just like last year in Petalburg City. Last time, both Misty and I sent Team Rocket blasting off, but I had no trouble giving the honor and glory to Misty tonight. It's not just because she's the birthday girl, but it's because Misty _is_ awesome.

Two flashes of light illuminated the outskirts of Professor Oak's ranch. The flash of Pikachu's Iron Tail easily sliced apart Team Rocket's cage, freeing the herding Pokemon. And of course, Gyarados' vibrant Hyperbeam sent Jessie, James, and Meowth blasting off to the stars…again. Strangely, I coulda' sworn I heard the Rockets' voices saying…

"See? Didn't I tell you two that we should leave the twerps' birthdays alone?"

"Oh _shaddap_, James!"

"Wooooobbuffet!"

* * *

><p>With Team Rocket out of the way once again, Misty and I slapped each other high-fives. But we didn't have much time to celebrate. Dozens of Pokemon gathered around us, and I was determined to keep my promise of returning the partiers' Pokemon. Once Misty recalled Gyarados, Pikachu helped us order the Pokemon to follow us back into town. And since Pokemon have such keen senses of smell and hearing, it wasn't long before we met up with Dena and the others.<p>

"Zigzagoon!" Dena called happily, catching the furry Pokemon in a tight embrace. "Thank goodness you're alright." Then taking her eyes off Zigzagoon for a second, the pigtailed girl offered me a grateful smile. "Thanks so much, Ash. And…sorry for yelling at you like that. We should've known you wouldn't do anything to harm our Pokemon."

A few other neighbors dipped their heads apologetically. I didn't want to hold a grudge against so many people, especially since tonight was one big misunderstanding. Pallet-Palooza was entirely Team Rocket's doing, after all. Nevertheless, I appreciated the apologies, and it felt good that my neighborhood seemed to gain a little more respect for me.

Smiling appreciatively, I accepted everyone's apologies. "Hey, don't worry about it," I chuckled modestly, briefly scratching the back of my neck before remembering something. Even if I did help save the Pokemon, I wasn't the _only_ person to thank. "But Misty helped, too," I added, causing Misty to blink by her sudden inclusion.

"Well thanks a lot, birthday girl!" Dena laughed. "You're as cool a trainer as I expected, Misty!"

I almost expected Misty to arrogantly reply, "Oh, you'd better believe I'm a cool trainer! I'm way cooler than my sisters, too! You're looking at the most Sensational Sister!" But instead – would you believe it? – Misty just flushed a little, and the more people who thanked her, the brighter Misty blushed! Unlike her sisters, Misty obviously isn't used to this sort of attention.

"Well, Zigzagoon and I should get going," Dena concluded, checking her wristwatch. "Daddy doesn't like me to be out past ten. Thanks again for everything, Ash!"

Lamar, Ricky…h-hey! It just came to me! Lamar's brother's name is Ricky! Better late than never, right? Uh, anyway…what I meant to say was that Lamar, Ricky, and everybody else seemed to agree with Dena. It was getting late, so the partygoers said their farewells. As incredible as it seemed, I managed to get myself off the hook. I even escaped a thrashing from Kyle Redfield, who seemed quite happy to be reunited with Charmeleon (although Kyle didn't leave without letting me know, "If anything like this happens again, it's your ass, Ketchum!"). But considering I was still in one piece, I counted my blessings, headed home, and declared Pallet-Palooza officially over.

Well…the palooza was over, but the night wasn't.

"Wait a sec'…" I paused, causing Misty to turn to me. "Did Dena just say it was…" Swallowing a sudden lump in my throat, I could barely squeak out the last words. "…_A-after_ ten o'clock?"

Curiously blinking, Misty nodded. "Yeah, I think so. Why? Is that a problem?"

She obviously didn't know, but yes, it was a _HUGE problem_! No time to explain, I screamed in horror before grabbing Misty's wrist and made a break for my house. If anybody happened to notice us, they would've thought I was utterly insane for dashing like a bat out of Hell, dragging my semi-girlfriend like a ragdoll! But I didn't have time to care.

_Oh God! Please! Just let me make it home in time! PLEASE!_

My heart hammered into my ears, and as the bumpy image of my house came into view, my legs couldn't move fast enough. I just prayed to God that Brock and the others managed to clean up the house in time. _Please_! Noisily leaping onto my porch, Misty and I burst through the front door.

Mom's furious brown eyes were the first to greet me.

**To Be Continued in the Last Episode!**

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: We all knew this was coming. The question is, will Ash still be breathing by the end of this story? That's for Ch.6 to decide. I hope to see you next week. Feel free to drop a review on your way out. ^_^ I accept Ash-squeeing, you know.


	6. Punishments and Presents

**COPYRIGHT NOTE**: I don't own _Pokemon / Pocket Monsters_, _Superman_, Hercules, or the song "It's My Party (and I'll Cry If I Want To)," performed by Lesley Gore.

**COMMENTS**: And now (*drum roll*) the finale of "It's Her Party 2." Viola!

* * *

><p><strong>It's Her Party, and I'm In Big Trouble Again<strong>

_Aiselne Phoenix_

**Ch.6: "Punishments and Presents"**

**T**eam Rocket's karaoke machine had been ear-piercingly loud, but it was nowhere _near _as loud as Mom when she screamed,

"_Ashton Ketchum_! What in God's name happened here?"

I cringed, wanting to shrink and hide under the sofa, a chair, rug…anything to escape Mom's wrath. Not that hiding it would have made much of a difference, though. Mom had already seen the damage.

Pallet-Palooza left a path of destruction throughout my house. Even though Brock and the others did their best to clean up, there was just too much of a mess and too little of time to eliminate the evidence. To my friends' credits, they managed to clean up the coffee table, mantel, and most shelf-like locations where partiers lazily left their plates and cups.

Unfortunately, the harder-to-clean carpet was an entirely different story. Not only had the floor been covered with food, crumbs, split soda, and junk of all kinds, but the debris had been nastily grounded into the carpet's fibers. After all, the partygoers had been jumping up and down for most of the night, obliviously stomping their trash into my carpet. There was no way I could've expected Brock to vacuum, or even wash, the whole carpet in such a short timeframe. I knew it was quite a job to thoroughly clean a carpet, which was why I also knew exactly why Mom was bound to hit the roof.

I was as good as dead. Still, I knew it would be best to _try _and at least salvage whatever chance I had left of surviving this night. Swallowing, I balled a nervous fist by my side in an attempt to remain strong. Whenever Mom looked at me with that enraged look, I knew I had _better _be scared!

When I failed to immediately answer Mom, Professor Oak suddenly stepped forward. He must've drove Mom home, which was a nice gesture, but it didn't help my situation at all. The professor is like a dad to me, and I didn't feel the least bit comfortable being glared at by both my mother and my father-figure. It's double the guilt-trip!

But surprisingly, Professor Oak didn't immediately lecture me. He wore a stern face, but he also seemed irked by something else. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. That was when the man turned away from me, briefly alleviating half of my pressure, while Professor Oak noticed his grandson.

"Gary?" asked the professor, sounding almost as surprised as me. Until then, I hadn't realized my rival stuck around. After I found out Team Rocket's scam, Misty and I raced out of the house to catch the thieves. Considering the near-war Gary and I almost underwent beforehand, I figured the guy would've left, too. Instead, Gary was still in my house, and frankly, that didn't make my predicament any easier. Mom was seconds away from ripping me a new one, and Gary was the last person I needed in the audience. "I thought you told me you weren't invited to Ash's party."

Biting my tongue, I shot Gary a quick glare. But unlike before, the brunette didn't reply with some smartassed remark. You see, Gary doesn't act as high and mighty when his grandfather confronts him. I know Gary's parents used to pamper him, but Professor Oak is one grandpa determined to set his grandson straight, not stereotypically spoil him rotten. Gary Oak is a totally different person when the professor takes charge.

Obviously watching his mouth, Gary seemed to choose his words wisely. "Well, yeah," he trailed, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "The other day, Ash said I wasn't invited, but…" And just like a get-out-of-jail-free card, Gary pulled out the fake Dragonair invitation from his pants. I could feel my temper heat up after just looking at those cursed cards, and wished my mind I could telecastingly, er, _telekinetically_ burst the card into flames. "…But then I got this invitation yesterday, so I…I thought Ash changed his mind."

It was difficult for me to control my temper. A part of me thought Gary's excuse was cagey, just to make himself appear innocent. But then again, it was proven that Gary hadn't instigated Pallet-Palooza, so I really didn't have a right to get mad at Gary anymore. Part of me was still ticked over Gary confessing he was the cause of his ninth birthday party food fight. But all of a sudden, I realized there was no point in bringing up that fiasco now. The food fight was years ago, nobody cared about it except me, and if I brought it up again, I'd just look incredibly childish. And since I wanted to prove to Mom that I was a responsible young man, I didn't need any more examples of immaturity.

Even so, it was pretty dumb of Gary to think I'd "change my mind" and invite him. He obviously made that up, just so it'd seem like Gary had a "right" to come to the party. Folding my arms over my chest, I huffed at my rival's wishful thinking. "I told you before that you weren't invited, Gary. And after that last party of yours, if you think I'll ever have anything to do with you at a party, Gary Oak, you can stuff it–"

"You're not exactly in a position to be talking like that, young man!" Mom barked faster (and more scarily) than a Houndoom, knocking me down a peg or two (hundred). Remembering my own sticky situation, I shut my trap. Now was not the time for my big mouth to add fuel to the fire. Once the heat was taken off Gary, it went right back to me.

"Now, answer me, Ashton," ordered Mom, causing me to shrink back just a little. I didn't want to cower, but it was hard for me to stand strong in Mom's wake. As scared as I was with Misty, Mom's ten times more terrifying. She's usually cheery and smiling, but like the professor, Mom's not afraid to discipline unruly boys. I never had a real dad around to discipline me, so Mom had to make up for it. So trust me when I say that when Mom means business, you'd better look out! Misty can instill the fear of God into people, but Mom can be tough enough to instill the fear of God, along with the fear of Heaven and Hell! Putting her hands on her hips and using her height advantage to intimidate me, Mom demanded, "_What_ happened here?"

I swallowed again, feeling my grip loosen each time Mom yelled. She hardly spoke to me like that. But when Mom did speak to me like that...well, let's just say, I was rarely stupid enough to encourage her to get so mad in the first place. Not even my friends were willing to speak up, since everybody else looked dumbfounded by my mother's transformation. Besides, it wasn't my friends' place, or home, to challenge Mom's rules. I didn't want my friends fighting my battles anymore, either.

"Mom...I..." But dammit, my voice wavered. Even if Mom was really scaring me, I couldn't allow myself to fall apart. All along, I wanted to prove to her that I was responsible and mature. Because of Pallet-Palooza, I had already lost my chance of proving responsibility. Punishments were inevitable, but if I didn't handle them maturely, that'd be more strikes against me. "I can explain."

"Oh, you'd _better _start explaining, mister!" Mom warned, her disgusted look broadening as she kept surveying the disastrous living room. "My God...I leave you kids alone for a couple of hours and _this _is what I come home to!"

Professor Oak was equally unimpressed, not that I could blame him or Mom. It was impossible to believe my house was squeaky-clean this morning. But it seemed that the professor also knew his place, and gave Mom the honors of scolding me. So while I was Mom's helpless victim, Professor Oak wandered around the living room to better inspect the damage.

"Urgh." Wrinkling his nose, Professor Oak randomly asked, "What is that smell?" Despite my friends' cleaning-up, there was still God-knew-what all over the place. If I were in a laughing mood, I'd call my house Mini Gringy City, but that wasn't funny at all.

As the rest of us noticed the odd scent, Mom just rubbed her temple. "It smells like… On second thought, I'm afraid to find out." Me too. Nevertheless, Mom still wanted an answer from me.

"It was Team Rocket, Mom!" I blurted out, barely hearing Pikachu shout a confirming "Chu!" by my feet. My buddy was very close with Mom, but it was a little reassuring for me to know that, even if Pikachu loved Mom, Pikachu was still on my side.

Mom blinked curiously, obviously considering Pikachu. However, I knew Mom was gonna' need more proof of my innocence, aside a vote of confidence from my pet. Cocking her head, she replied, "Team Rocket did this? Really?" To my displeasure, Mom didn't sound like she believed Pikachu and me. "It looks more like somebody had a _party _in here...a party that turned out to be a tad _bigger _than my _son _told me!"

"Mom, it wasn't my fault!" I swore. "Team Rocket sabotaged the party!"

"_'Sabotaged _the party'?" I heard Professor Oak ask from the other end of the parlor. He was still trying to follow his nose to wherever the odd smell came from. "Why would they sabotage a kid's birthday party? They steal Pokemon, don't they?"

To me, the professor's words were perfect. "That's exactly why they did it!" I explained with an eager nod. "Team Rocket wanted to steal a lot of Pokemon. Somehow, they must've gotten a'hold of Misty's invitations. Then they rewrote the cards, sent them to all the kids in the neighborhood, and said we were hosting a bash called 'Pallet-Palooza'–!"

Before I realized, my voice paused to catch a breath of air. More importantly, I noticed a sound from Professor Oak's direction. He tried to muffle the chuckle via covering his mouth, but I noticed the smirk concealed behind his palm. Then my own mouth dropped open, especially when I returned my attention to Mom. She was just shaking her head in disbelief.

Feeling myself sink deeper, I felt my face sag. "You…you don't believe me?"

"'Pallet-Palooza'?" repeated the professor, releasing only one hearty laugh. "Actually, that's a pretty catchy name. We could use it for next year's county fair."

Running a hand through her brown bangs, Mom groaned in exasperation. "Honestly, Ash. If you spent as much time cleaning the house as you did concocting that story…"

"It's the truth!" I exclaimed, poorly keeping myself afloat. In retrospect, I knew my excuse sounded ridiculous. The name "Pallet-Palooza" was outrageous enough, not to mention all the other unbelievable things Team Rocket did to blow Misty's party. I hadn't even told Mom how Jessie and James disguised themselves as schoolgirls to fool us…although…uh…on second thought, I really don't want to remember James in a miniskirt. Mom wouldn't believe it, anyway.

"I'm not amused, Ash," Mom spoke firmly, digging my grave deeper. "You said it yourself that you wanted to throw a big party for Misty. The least you could've done was be upfront with me about it. And I'm not pleased with you making up some stupid excuse to cover it up, either! At the very least, tell me the truth."

Mom may have had a point, but I couldn't believe she thought I was still pulling her leg. I may have been scared out of my wits, but Mom should've known I wasn't the type of person to lie my way out of a problem. "I _am _telling you the truth!"

"Oh please, Ash! Do you really expect me to believe that?" she blasted, silencing me and making me take another fearful step backwards. "If Team Rocket really wanted to steal Pokemon, don't you think that palooza thing was a very exaggerated way of doing it?" Poor Mom didn't realize this wasn't the first time Jessie, James, and Meowth worked butt-backwards. "Why would they invite so many people, too? To make you more popular or something?"

"No! They did it to get more Pokemon, and get me into trouble!"

"Well, you can thank them for succeeding on that last part…if they're even responsible, that is."

"But they _are _responsible, Mom!"

Mom just rolled her eyes, shaking her head, and clearly not believing me. "Ash, I'm very tired right now," she moaned, raising a hand to silence me again. Rubbing her forehead for the nth time, I knew my mother was reaching her limits, but so was I. I didn't like to fight with her. Still, I didn't want Mom to believe I instigated this mess when it honestly was Team Rocket's fault. Sadly, with such a stupid-sounding excuse as "Pallet-Palooza," how could I convince Mom that I was innocent?

"This is the last thing I need tonight, Ash." Then Mom sighed heavily, as though she was carrying unneeded weight on her shoulders. As peeved as Mom seemed, she was obviously more disappointed than anything else. "I thought I could trust you–"

Drastically losing my battle with Mom, and the battle with my composure, I nearly bawled, "You _can _trust me!"

"If I could really trust you, this never would have happened!" blasted Mom, pointing around the horrific living room to prove her point. Like it or not, I wasn't going to win this fight. Ironically, Mom always taught me to never give up, but this was one case where I couldn't afford to stay stubborn. The longer I tested Mom's patience, the worse my punishment would be. It would be better if I just got it over with.

But just before I accepted defeat, Professor Oak's face unexpectedly popped out from being my couch. Apparently, he found whatever was making that weird smell. Once the professor got to his feet, Mom (and everybody else in the room) turned pale upon seeing the item Professor Oak recollected from under my sofa.

A liquor bottle!

It was one of those cases where a boy was "scared enough to want his mommy." Except, Mommy was the very thing I was scared of! Whoever came up with the concept that a boy can be scared enough to want his mommy never met mine!

Never before had I seen Mom so appalled. Remember how I said an angry Misty resembles a Gyarados? Well, there is no Pokemon-equivalent to describe Mom's anger. Let's just say I was starting to miss Gyarados-Misty. Mom's enraged eyes shot me like a bullet. "_Ashton_! I told you no alcohol! You promised me I had nothing to worry about. What is the meaning of _this_?"

I felt like I was playing a bad game of limbo – how low can I go? Is it possible to be a deader-than-dead man? There was no way I could've prepared for this shocker. I know the palooza partiers romped around the house, but I was 99.9% certain none of them went downstairs near the wine cabinet. "I don't know where that came from, Mom, honest–!"

No surprise, Mom shut me up again. Storming in my direction, she promptly grabbed my chin, urging me to open my mouth. She obviously wanted to check if there was any alcohol on my breath. Can't say I blame her, but boy, that was embarrassing. Thankfully, I had nothing to worry about, and Mom looked pretty relieved to know I was clean. Just to be safe, she had Professor Oak check the rest of my friends, and everybody passed the makeshift breathalyzer tests. At least that went in my favor.

"Well..._somebody _must have drank this," Mom noted, holding the empty bottle. "Sam, could you go check the wine cabinet and make sure this didn't come out of there?" she asked, Professor Oak nodding and doing the favor. Mom still did not look pleased with me, but I was so glad when the professor returned to confirm the cabinet was untouched.

"Told ya!" Stupidly, I blurted out, though I hushed when Mom glared right back at me.

"Either way, somebody drank this!" repeated my mom. "Somebody drank this in my house, without my permission, and without me present! None of you kids are of age! Do you know how much trouble we could get in, Ash, if people found out alcohol was being served to minors without adult supervision?"

"But Mom, I didn't even know that bottle was here!" I spoke honestly.

"Then you obviously weren't paying much attention, were you?" she retorted matter-of-factly, making me cringe all over again. "Ash, when you're alone in this house, you are responsible for it, understand? That means you have to be aware of what's going on around you at all times."

She was exactly right. Perhaps I should have been paying closer attention. Somebody obviously snuck in that bottle during the party, and I never noticed. Then again, the party was absolutely crazy! I could barely keep track of my friends in the crowd. Clearly, none of my other friends noticed the alcohol, either. For all I knew, the liquor might've been instigated by Team Rocket to get me grounded for the rest of my life (which was absolutely gonna' to happen after tonight). I was going to lose a lot more than dessert privileges for this fiasco.

Plus, aside the palooza's wildness, my other major distraction silently stood by my side. When Misty asked me to dance with her, I forgot all about what was going on around me. We entered our own little fantasy world, which undoubtedly caused me to forget what was going on in the _real_ world. So lost in Misty, I wouldn't have noticed a bomb go off.

"Oh my God!"

Out of the blue, everybody jumped when we heard a scream. It wasn't Mom who shrieked, but the voice was feminine and familiar. Spinning around, my eyes fell upon May. For some reason, she was down on her knees, cradling a small blue turtle in her arms. "Squirtle! What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Bobbing its head as though it were full of sand, the red-faced Water Pokemon's only reply was a hiccupped, "Squirt!"

Squirtle sure looked funny. It kinda' reminded me of how Pokemon act goofy when exposed to Sweet Scent. But Professor Oak took the matter much more seriously, dashing to May's side and inspecting her tiny turtle.

"Professor, what's wrong with Squirtle?" May needed to know, her panicked voice almost breaking. "Squirtle got lost in the party crowd, and I found it hiding under a recliner. Is it sick?" Sometimes animals do hide themselves when they're sick, after all. Maybe the party hoopla was too much for Squirtle. I know I barely handled Pallet-Palooza, myself.

However, the serious expression on Professor Oak's face looked too grim for comfort. "I'm afraid Squirtle is intoxicated, May. It must've found the bottle under the sofa." And while the stunned May attempted to grasp the unprecedented situation, Professor Oak turned to his assistant. "Tracey! We're taking Squirtle back to the lab immediately. Alcohol can be deadly to Pokemon, especially Pokemon as little as this one."

May's Squirtle was much younger and tinier than mine. It was practically May's baby, which was why the coordinator nearly burst into tears when Professor Oak said the word "deadly." I felt so bad for May when she started sniffling. Max was at her side in a flash, holding her hand while Professor Oak and Tracey led the siblings out of my house, heading straight for the Oak laboratory. It all happened so fast that my brain could barely keep up.

Silently praying that Squirtle would pull through, I felt my feet shuffle, absentmindedly trying to follow May and the professor. May and Max were my best friends, so I wanted to be with them in their time of need. But before I could run out of my house, Mom stopped me.

"I'm sure Professor Oak and Tracey will work a lot better if they don't have a bunch of people crowding the lab, Ash," Mom spoke gently, briefly placing a hand on my shoulder. I could also tell she was addressing the rest of my friends left behind, making sure everybody stayed where they were. Mom was right. May and Max didn't need an audience.

But now that the tables had turned 180-degrees, I felt a wave of dread come over me. I had faith in Professor Oak and Tracey, but a little voice inside of me feared the worst. What if Squirtle died? Even if Team Rocket was behind tonight's fiasco, I couldn't help but feel at fault, too. Like Mom said, I didn't pay very good attention to what happened during the party. If my cluelessness caused a Pokemon's death, I knew my heart couldn't handle it.

"This is why I didn't want to leave you alone, Ash," I heard Mom softly sigh. No longer did she sound mad or disappointed. Now she just sounded sad, clearly concerned for Squirtle's life. Mom sounded like she was upset with herself for leaving the house in my care. Perhaps she was partially blaming herself, too. "And I know I told you countless times that I didn't want any Pokemon in the house."

"I know you did," I replied quietly, doing my best to maintain my voice. But by then, matters were getting overwhelming for me. "But Squirtle was allowed to do a little performance when Misty arrived, remember? You said it was okay." For once, I had the right comeback and Mom accepted it with a nod. "But shortly after Misty arrived, all those extra people showed up. Things got pretty crazy, so Squirtle must've gotten lost in the crowd."

At least Mom acknowledged that explanation, though she was far from pleased. Never before had I seen her rub her forehead so much. Her headache must've been splitting. "What a night," she exhaled to herself, shaking her head before giving me her attention again. "I just hope Professor Oak doesn't take away your license for endangering a Pokemon's life, Ash."

Mom's words cut me like a knife through butter. My entire body froze over, and I could've sworn my heart skipped a beat. Just when the night couldn't possibly get any worse, Mom drove the stake right into me.

I started planning for Misty's Pallet Town party this time last year. After all that forethought, how could a simple birthday party become a life-or-death situation? If I had known half of these things might happen, I never would've bothered. No matter how important Misty is to me, no birthday party is worth this.

The guilt was unbearable. I felt guilty for letting the party go out of control. I let Mom, Misty, May, and everybody else down. I may lose my training license, and poor Squirtle might…

"Ash isn't lying, Mrs. Ketchum. I saw what Team Rocket did."

My red-haired heroine came to the rescue, but sadly, Misty was a little too late.

"I'm tired," heaved Mom, obviously considering Misty's honesty, but choosing to be the responsible parent. I could tell Squirtle's episode bothered Mom more deeply than she let on, but she didn't want to soften up before punishing me. "I'm not in the mood to keep arguing with you, Ash. You can forget about your Battle Frontier next week, because you're grounded for the next two. Clean this mess up before you go to bed. And I want Ash to do it by himself, kids, understand? The rest of you should head off to bed." She wasn't about to punish children that weren't her own, and my friends weren't about to object her rules, either.

The immature side of me believed Mom was unreasonable, but I knew better. I got myself into this mess, and I had to dig myself out. Honestly, I wasn't too surprised that Mom grounded me, and technically, a postponed Battle Frontier was the least of my concerns. But even though I had myself to blame for this mess, I still felt my eyes water.

I heard Mom sigh once more, sounding as though she didn't enjoy punishing me. But not the type of person to go back on her word, Mom turned away from me and headed across the parlor. Uneasily, my friends shuffled their shoes, and I felt Misty place her hand on my shoulder. She meant well, but at the moment, I wanted to be alone. Misty's warm sympathy was rapidly melting what little composure I had left. Crying wouldn't help my situation whatsoever.

"Oh G-God…"

The last time we heard, "Oh my God," something bad happened. Now was no exception. Blinking, Misty and I turned to where we heard Mom gasp. Just when I thought I was freed from my mother's presence – and just when I thought the night couldn't possibly get any worse – the unthinkable happened.

Like May, Mom lowered herself to her knees, picking up something from the floor. Well, actually, Mom picked up some thing_s_ from the floor. Piece by piece and clink by clink, I felt faint when I realized something did get broken during Pallet-Palooza. And of all the items in our house, the thing that broke happened to be ultra-special to Mom.

_Dad's Articuno statue. _

He gave it to Mom as an anniversary present, so many years ago that I barely remembered. But Mom remembered, and I could tell the memories flooded her the moment she picked up the broken statuette. Articuno wasn't obliterated, but its long wavy tail was no longer attached to its majestic body. One of its legs was detached, too.

I expected Hell to break loose. However, Mom stayed silent the entire time. Too tired and unwilling to believe what happened tonight, she left Articuno's remains on its mantel. Mom probably figured she'd deal with it in the morning. As if she wanted to flee before something else went wrong, Mom quietly yet quickly disappeared upstairs. When I heard her bedroom door shut, I chewed my quivering lip.

My house was plunged in silence afterward. Nobody knew what to say, probably because there was nothing to say. Shortly after Mom left, my remaining friends followed upstairs to my room. I tried to ignore their reassuring pats, shoulder-rubs, and Pikachu's soft "Pikapi," because like before, I just wished to be left alone.

Once I got my wish, I depressingly grabbed a dustpan and brush, dropped on my hands and knees, and got to work. The sofa was first to be cleaned, then the recliners. Once I crawled on my stomach to clean underneath the coffee table, that was when I finally noticed tears dripping off my nose.

* * *

><p>Nearly two hours passed since Hurricane Mom ripped me apart. It was nearing midnight by the time I finished cleaning the living room and headed for the kitchen. I didn't feel like sleeping, and I was too afraid to go upstairs and accidentally bump into Mom. So I just kept working.<p>

My earlier instincts were right; the partygoers must've raided the kitchen without me realizing. The living room was definitely in worse shape, but there was still plenty of trash and food scattered throughout my kitchen. The place looked like Munchlax binged. Sighing with disgust, I filled a pail with tap water, grabbed a mop, and started washing the gunk off the kitchen tiles.

_What a mess._

I hadn't heard from Mom or the others since they went upstairs, although the phone had been ringing quite a bit. My guess was that neighbors were calling to ask what happened with that Pallet-Palooza nonsense. More importantly, I just hoped one of those callers was Professor Oak, letting us know May's Squirtle was okay. But with nothing else I could do, I continued cleaning up the mess I got into.

"Ash?"

My mop handle almost fell to the floor, and I barely managed to contain a surprised, "Wah!" when I heard a voice come out of nowhere. The tiled floor being wet, my sneakers noisily skidded when I spun around, barely managing to catch my balance (and my breath) upon seeing Misty standing at the kitchen threshold. Jeez, Misty sure knew how to get my heart racing (in more ways than one). I probably lost ten years off my lifespan after tonight's hoopla.

Regaining myself, I set aside my mop before quietly approaching Misty. By then, she was already dressed in her blue Poliwag-printed pajamas. Her hands were casually placed behind her back, almost making her seem like a little girl. She looked cute, but I wasn't about to get lost in another fantasy. I still had work to be done. Plus, the way my bad luck had been going, I didn't want Mom to suddenly stroll downstairs and find me shooting the breeze. My current punishments were bad enough.

Still, I didn't want to ignore Misty, either, since she was obviously brave enough to come downstairs after Mom's blowup. "Myst? What're you doing up?"

"I just wanted to check on you. We were worried," she answered, which did make me feel a little better. Even if my friends knew better than to raise their voices to my mother, they were still on my side all the way. Slowly walking towards me, the redhead gave me a sympathetic smile. "Are you okay?"

"Okay" wasn't the first word I wanted to say. Shrugging indifferently, I shamefully looked away. I supposed I deserved Mom's punishment, but that didn't mean I had to enjoy it. "As good as I can be, anyway. I can't blame Mom for being upset, though."

"It's okay if you're upset, too, Ash."

I didn't want to agree with Misty. If anything, shouldn't it have been Misty who was most upset? I botched up everything, turned my house into New Gringy City, so it seemed that Misty and Mom were at the tippy-top of the disappointment list. But then, if I didn't have a right to be upset, why did I feel upset? Nobody likes to be punished, of course, but I also knew that Mom's punishments weren't the top reasons why I felt like a heel.

"Brock told me about the past few days," Misty continued, while I bit my lip. "He told me how much you wanted to throw me a big party to make up for the others." Déjà vu, this conversation was beginning to remind me of Mom's earlier lecture. How many times must I be reminded about how I stupidly wanted to throw a big party I couldn't possibly control? "But even though he knew you were dead-set on a huge shindig, deep down, Brock and the others figured 'Pallet-Palooza' was overkill, even for you."

So it seemed that my friends believed my innocence all along, which was a relief, but, "Tell that to Mom."

"She's your mother, Ash. Of course she knows. She's just tired and upset right now, that's all. I dunno if she'll lighten your punishment, but I'm sure she doesn't want something like this to happen again, either. Your mom doesn't strike me as a parent who disciplines her child without reason."

Boy, Misty hit the nail on the head. "I just…" I trailed for a second, unsure if I wanted to say what I was about to say. It felt childish to admit, "I just wanted Mom to realize I was responsible."

"You accepted your punishment a lot better than I expected, so I'd say that counts for something," Misty noted, although I couldn't help but wonder how she expected me to react in the first place. Kicking and screaming like a five-year-old? Suuure, that would reeeally impress Mom. "A lot of other kids would probably just throw a tantrum or cry like babies."

I sweatdropped after hearing Misty's last comment. My eyes were dry, but still a little raw. Dammit, maybe Max was right all along about me being soft. That kid is too smart for his age! Oh well, what Misty doesn't know won't embarrass me.

"But your mom's bound to realize you're responsible." Surprisingly, I heard Misty chuckle softly. "Ash, you've been traveling across the world for a few years, and we've faced a lot worse situations than a Team Rocket-spiked party. Your mom would have to be blind not to realize you've developed some level of responsibility. Remember Shamuti Island? But you're not Superman, either. Exactly how much 'responsibility' were you planning to prove, Ash?"

I didn't expect that question. Maybe I had gotten in over my head from the beginning – not that me going overboard is new. But maybe that was the point. Misty said it herself: she predicted I would go overboard, and perhaps Mom was the same. The party was obviously meant to be a learning experience, so I'd open my eyes and realize how easily I attracted these fiascos. And maybe, just maybe, I'd learn to resolve (or avoid) them in the future. Because just like that time on Shamuti Island, Mom worried about me, and she wanted me to learn how to look before I leaped. I guess I still had some brushing up to be done.

"You're right, Misty," I nodded, still not ready to smile but feeling a bit better. "Still, I wish these birthday parties weren't always disasters. A whole year's worth of planning went into tonight's party, and everything went wrong in a matter of minutes. I always thought the harder a person tried, the better the results."

"That's true," Misty seemed to agree. "But there's also such a thing as trying _too_ hard, Ash."

Once again, it seemed everybody else knew the answers, and I was the last to find out. But Misty was right again. She told me before that she wouldn't have minded a simple get-together on her birthday. If that was enough for Misty, why wasn't it enough for me? I guess I was too worried about redeeming myself, but I really wanted to make Misty happy, too.

However, Misty _was_ happy. Even after everything that happened tonight, she was still smiling beautifully at me. That was enough for me. Returning her smile, I nodded more sincerely. "Thanks, Myst."

"I'm the one who should be thanking you," Misty gushed, causing me to rub the back of my neck. "But next year, keep things simple, okay Ash?"

Unable to prevent myself from chuckling, I sweatdropped again, "Don't worry. I will. That is, provided I'm not locked in my room until doomsday. Mom was pretty pissed, and God help me if Professor Oak revokes my training license cause' of what happened to Squirtle."

"You worry too much," Misty winked, causing me to blink. "Professor Oak called about fifteen minutes ago. That's why I came downstairs looking for you, when the coast was clear, of course. I wanted you to know that Squirtle's fine. It'll be kept overnight for observations, and May and Max will bunk in Gary's empty room. But everything's expected to be A-okay. And I'm sure May and Max told Professor Oak what really happened at the party, so I can't picture him taking away your license for something you didn't cause. If anything, he might consider your punishment as a type of suspension, since your mom probably won't allow you to train much while you're grounded, anyway."

She sure wouldn't. When Mom grounds me, that means no TV, no computer, no video games, no dessert, no playing, and especially no training (which is the worst of all). Often, I'd leave my Pokemon with Professor Oak during grounding, but I always had at least Pikachu by my side. Mom understood that I needed to feed and exercise my Pokemon on a daily basis, so I wasn't completely cut-off from my Pokemon. I just wasn't allowed to "play" with my Pokemon. To a non-trainer like Mom, she considers training as a type of playing (probably because my training often ends as playing. But hey, after a hard day's work, I like to let my Pokemon relax, unwind, and have fun. They deserve it. Many people don't seem to understand that playtime can be just as important as training). No doubt, my grounding would be a suspension.

Regardless, I couldn't begin to express how absolutely happy I was to know Squirtle was okay, although my relief was probably just a fraction of May's. Honestly, May's Squirtle reminded me of my own, so I sympathized with her, because I'd never wish ill on my Pokemon. Finding out that Squirtle was expected to make a full recovery was undoubtedly the best news I heard all night! _Thank you, God._

I was seconds away from throwing my arms around Misty to celebrate. However, something suddenly stopped me. In the mix of Misty's joyous words, one word stuck out from all the rest. True, I hated to spoil the mood, but my mood was already souring when it dawned on me.

"Gary's bedroom is…'empty'?" I realized, putting two and two together. "Wait…that jerk's still _here_?"

Obviously not wanting world war to erupt again, Misty cut to the chase. "He never left with Professor Oak and Tracey. After your mom chewed you out, I think Gary was leery about confronting his grandpa, since Gary snuck out to our party." Oh sure! Everybody pokes fun at me for being immature and irresponsible, while Gary Oak's running away from his grandfather. Tch! My rival thinks he's so freaking great, when he's really just chicken–

"Brock said he helped clean up the house while you and I chased after Team Rocket."

"I know Brock helped clean up. He said he would," I replied, barely managing to control my bubbling temper. Misty must've noticed, because she shushed me the moment my big mouth opened.

"Brock said _Gary_ helped clean up, Ash."

Yeah. Riight. Gary Oak dirtied _his_ hands, cleaning _my_ house? I'd believe that when Grumpigs started flying, Magikarp became useful, and Team Rocket actually developed brains.

"Casey and the others were there, too, and all vouched for him," Misty confirmed, although I still failed to grasp this unexpected curveball. It was amazing how many unbelievable things happened that night. Gary Oak helping me out was one of the top mind-blowers of the century! "He didn't come out and say it, but I think Gary felt bad for you."

Almost blowing a gasket, I blurted out, "I don't want his damn pity–!"

"Gary wasn't lying when he said he thought you changed your mind, either," Misty continued, not giving me a chance to go on another Gary-related tirade. She sure knows how to control my mouth (I still need practice, huh?).

"After we went upstairs, you can be sure that me, Brock, and the others wanted answers from Gary. Boys like Gary and that red-haired bully aren't so tough once they see me crack my knuckles, heh. You don't want to screw with Brock, either. Brock isn't Hercules, but a guy who was brought up training and working out with heavy Rock Pokemon is not a pushover. And if you can believe this…if Brock and me failed to intimidate Gary, Casey threatened to sing! After that, Gary was happy to talk."

I gotta' admit, I was flattered that my friends got on Gary's case. It was time that jerk got what was coming to him. And if Casey let Gary have it with both barrels, I might just have developed a liking for the Electabuzz theme song. "Served him right."

"Yeah, but earlier, Gary wasn't lying, Ash." Of course, I perked when Misty pointed that out. "Remember when he got the palooza invitation, and claimed he thought you changed your mind about inviting him to my party? Gary actually believed that."

I still wasn't buying it, no matter how sincere Misty sounded. If she was pulling my leg, Misty was a fantastic actress. Huffing, I folded my arms over my chest. "Provided Gary told the truth, if he really believed I'd invite him, then he's an idiot. Hell has a better chance of freezing over."

"Maybe, but when Gary first arrived, he really didn't pull anything."

"Yeah, until he confessed to that food fight…"

"…Which he probably never would've brought up if you hadn't immediately started yelling at him!"

"B-but Gary started it!"

"Aargh! Ash! See? This is the kinda' crap your mom doesn't want. If you wanna' prove you're mature, this is one of the things you should work on. I'm not defending Gary, of course. I swear…you and him have no idea how alike you are. Whenever one starts a fire, the other has to keep fanning it! It wouldn't kill either of you to learn how to talk in a civilized manner."

I was too proud to admit it, but Misty was right. Gary and I were equally in the wrong, and neither of us put in much effort to restore our old, pre-rivalry friendship. Things like that don't happen overnight, but we had to at least try to make improvements bit by bit. Thinking back, Gary was pretty interested in Misty's party from the get-go. After all, he kept nagging me about the party. Maybe his interest wasn't rooted in mischief-making, but so him and I could reconnect a little. I still had a hard time believing it, but considering all the other shenanigans that happened tonight, Gary really wasn't my number-one enemy. Sure, he pissed me off, but Gary didn't instigate Pallet-Palooza, steal Pokemon, or trash my house – hell, Gary helped clean it up! But I was so hung-up in our idiotic past that I didn't want to believe my rival was innocent.

Everything sinking in, I ran fingers through my unruly black bangs. Maybe I owed Gary and apology, but not tonight. Someday, maybe, but not tonight. Sighing, I humbly looked into Misty's eyes. "I guess I've still gotta' lot of growing up to do, huh?"

Misty shrugged with a smile. "Doesn't everybody?"

Chuckling, I began to feel my spirits rise. I was still bummed out about postponing the Battle Frontier, but at least Misty was easing my pain. She was always there for me, when I wanted to be there for her. That was my duty as semi-boyfriend, right? Once again, I found myself being self-centered. The night wasn't about me, Gary, Mom, or anybody else. Whenever March 20th arrived, the most important person was Misty.

"Misty? Be honest. Did you…_really_ enjoy tonight's party?"

It was surprising how easily the words escaped my mouth, despite how nervous I felt. But after everything that happened tonight, I realized there were much scarier things in life. Even so, I braced myself for the worst, just in case.

"Well, _honestly_…" droned Misty, almost playfully. I wasn't kidding around, but I could tell she was. "I knew I should've evacuated Kanto when I had the chance," she giggled, causing me to roll my eyes. But before I asked to her to be serious, the redhead finished her response. "Like I said before, I did want a simpler party, Ash, but I also ended up enjoying the big bash. To tell you the truth, I enjoyed the big party more than I expected. Decompressing is nice, but having the chance to dance around and unleash some pent-up stress isn't so bad, either. But above all, I got to spend time with my long lost friends, and that's what I wanted most for my birthday." Nudging closer to me, Misty ended her speech with an affectionate, "You gave me the best birthday present, Ash."

I knew I blushed, but I was perfectly okay with that. Of all people, Misty was the person I wanted to impress most. And who'd guess it? I actually succeeded in making her a happy birthday girl! Like last year's party in Petalburg City, this year's party was far from my definition of "perfect." However, my definition didn't matter, as long as the party met Misty's definition of "happy." That made me happy, too.

And while Misty was on the subject of presents…I still hadn't given her mine! Man! So much happened tonight that I completely forgot about giving Misty her gift. Then again, with May, Max, and Tracey gone, I'm sure Misty didn't want to open their gifts until we were reunited tomorrow. But…I'm impatient, okay? I didn't want to wait any longer to give Misty my gift.

"Oh! And speaking of presents, Ash…"

Blinking, I perked when it was Misty who brought up the subject, not me. Misty tended to be hotheaded, but she wasn't arrogant enough to _ask_ a person for her gifts. Then again, Misty wasn't asking for a present at all. Instead, she looked at me with another lively glint in her aquamarine eyes. I knew that look – Misty had something up her sleeve.

Or more specifically, she had something hidden behind her back. All along, I figured she was just casually folding her arms behind her back, but typical Misty, she always had an ulterior motive. Curious, I cocked my head, playing along with her.

Unable to keep a giddy smile off her lips, Misty encouraged me to, "Turn around and close your eyes."

This sounded familiar. Leave it to Misty to mimic, or mock, me. But I doubted she intended harm, so I played along. It was Misty's birthday, after all. Doing as told, my eyes shut a little uncomfortably, no thanks to the aftereffects of my earlier weepy spell. Even though it felt absolutely weird for Misty to be giving _me_ a gift… "Uh…don't take this the wrong way, but what're you giving me a gift for, Myst?"

"Who said this is for _you_?" Ha! I should've known Misty would've shot me a wiseass comment. "I just told you to turn around and shut your eyes…though maybe I should've told you to shut your _mouth_ while you're at it."

"Hardy har-har."

I heard her blow a raspberry over my shoulder. Before I could return the term of affection, Misty barked another order at me. "Alright, alright, dork. Turn back around and open your eyes."

And so I did, and in Misty's hands I saw Mom's Articuno statue…_good as new!_

My eyes and mouth widened in complete shock, while my gaze darted from the statue to Misty's bright smile. "I..." I stammered in shock, for a moment thinking I was dreaming, but the emotions the moment sent through me proved otherwise. "...I can't believe it! Myst, how'd you fix it?"

"I _didn't_, actually," she admitted, before placing Articuno on the kitchen table before it accidentally hit the floor again. "Brock's the one carrying a convenience store in that huge backpack of his. He had some super glue, so he sent me on a little sneaking mission downstairs to recollect Articuno from the living room mantel. I didn't wanna' get caught by your mom, and I wanted this to be a surprise for you, too."

Hell, I was beyond surprised! I could barely wrap my head around the fact that Mom's Articuno was not destroyed after all. The figurine held so much sentimental value to my parents. Plus, Articuno's resurrection meant I wasn't gonna' be destroyed by Mom, too! "I can't wait to show this to Mom!" I gushed, admiring the majestic statue as if I were six years old again, when Dad first game Mom that anniversary present. Mom was so happy that day, and I knew she'd be happy to know her precious figurine wasn't lost.

"Yeah," nodded Misty, admiring her and my friends' job well done. "Brock did a great job fixing it. I mean, the statue isn't 'perfect,' and I'm sure your Mom will notice a few spots that were glued. But all in all, I think Articuno looks a lot better than it did earlier."

It sure did. My red-haired guardian angel saved me once again, which was why I finally gave Misty the hug she rightfully deserved. I owed Brock a hug, too. Looks like I've got a bunch of guardian angels watching over me. And in a way, I guess my friends were looking out for Mom, too. I always knew Brock cared about her. Dad's Articuno figurine meant more to Mom than it could ever mean to me. Knowing Mom would be happy easily made me happy, too. "Thank you, Misty."

"No problem, Ash." I felt her rub my back, which I answered with a tender squeeze. "After all, I can't exactly leave my boyfriend hanging."

Then my hug went limp. Misty noticed, because she pulled apart to get a better view of my face. She called my name a few times, but I was too dazed to reply immediately. The greatest shocker of the night just flashed before my eyes, and I was too stunned to move. Out of the clear blue, before I even had a chance to prepare myself, Misty called me her…boyfriend. Not semi-boyfriend. _Boyfriend! FULL-FLEDGED BOYFRIEND!_

I must've appeared as goofy as a kid in a candy store, because Misty gave me the strangest look. But too happy to care, I gave her another bear hug while bouncing on my heels. "This means we're no longer semi, right?"

Drastically trying to catch her breath, the near-suffocated Misty pried herself out of my embrace, staring at me with wide blue eyes. "Huh? 'Semi'? Like 'semi-circle,' or 'semi tractor-trailer'? Where the hell do you learn your vocabulary, Ash? Unless…" Then she paused, swallowed, and a line of pink randomly brightened her cheeks. "Oh crap, please don't tell me you meant 'seme,' because I swear to God, Ash Ketchum–"

Blinking once, I innocently tilted my head. "Wha?"

Surprisingly, Misty seemed relieved by my answer, and left it at that. "…Never mind."

Following Misty's cue, I returned my attention at Mom's gorgeous Articuno statue. My impatience was reaching uncontrollable levels. Even though I loved being with Misty, I just couldn't wait any longer to tell Mom the good news. Would it be rude of me to leave Misty for a sec', just so I could return Articuno to Mom? Well, considering Misty and my friends helped fix the figurine, they obviously wanted Mom to receive the gift sooner or later. No time like the present to give a present!

Bounding over to the kitchen table, I reclaimed Mom's small statue, holding it carefully so we wouldn't have another crisis on our hands. "I've gotta' show Mom her Articuno! She's gonna' be sooo excited!"

Misty giggled, probably thinking I was the most excited of all. But not wanting to get in my way, the birthday girl stepped aside, wearing a confident smile for me. To Misty, this was probably the first time all night that she got to see me giddy, not super-stressed or discouraged. No matter how many times Misty used to yell at me for being a hyperactive idiot, I could tell she liked seeing me this way. "Then go to her, Ash."

Not needing to be told twice, I nodded to her before heading out. My energy was boundless, but Articuno was carried like a baby in my arms, just in case. But once I reached the kitchen threshold, I stopped only for a second. Even though my legs were anxiously walking in place, I couldn't leave Misty until I gave her a quick – but very thankful – peck on her cheek.

"I'll be right back, Myst."

Now, don't ask me _where_ that smooch came from. By no means am I a romantic. Plus, the kiss happened so fast! Misty always used to kiss me, not the other way around. I didn't even realize what I had done until I left the kitchen and headed upstairs. Okay, okay…so I still needed to work on looking before leaping. Don't worry; it's on my to-do list.

Nevertheless, even though my kiss surprised both of us, neither Misty nor I minded one bit.

* * *

><p>Even though my energy was restored thanks to Misty, I was still a little frightened to face Mom again. When I knocked on her bedroom door, I didn't know what type of a mood she would still be in after our earlier argument. Would she tell me to go away? Would she scold me for ignoring my chores? Would she <em>worsen<em> my punishment? Maybe I was getting paranoid again, but either way, I didn't want to make waves with Mom anymore.

So, you can imagine my relief when Mom opened her door, noticed the newly fixed Articuno, and gasped in joy.

"O-oh my…!" Mom stammered, briefly placing a hand over her mouth. She blinked a few times to make sure this wasn't an illusion. Then without word, Mom gingerly took the statue into her hands, admiring it with glossy brown eyes. The last time Mom admired Articuno like that was when Dad originally gave her the gift.

Smiling warmly, I watched Mom perch Articuno atop her sturdy bureau. Nobody wanted anything bad to happen to Mom's favorite statuette, after all. While Mom continued to silently admire the unexpected repair-job, I was inclined to let her know, "Brock, Misty, and the others actually fixed it, Mom." I didn't want to take the credit, since I really didn't do anything except accidentally get the figurine broken in the first place. Besides, my best friends definitely deserved the credit.

Either way, I was the person Mom hugged first. Hard to believe it was the same woman who barked my ears off just a few hours ago. But by now, Mom had time to calm down. Plus, she knew her figurine wasn't a total loss, so Mom's mood changed just like mine did when Misty cheered me up. Because truthfully, even though Mom isn't afraid to discipline me, she prefers to be cheerful just like me.

"I'm so sorry about what happened tonight, Mom," I apologized earnestly, wrapping my arms around her waist to return the hug.

Stroking my bangs, Mom kissed my forehead, "Oh, I know you're sorry, sweetheart. I didn't mean to be so hard on you, either. But for me to come home to a mess like that… I just lost my temper." Then I felt her hand fall down to my face, cupping my chin so she could raise my face to her eyelevel. I felt better when I noticed a small smirk tug Mom's lips. "You come from a long line of hotheads, although it's mostly from your _father_'s side…"

Both of us giggled, which made me feel like a million bucks. As long as Mom wasn't yelling or punishing me, I was content. Of course, I wasn't stupid enough to ask Mom to take back her punishment, because I still felt like I was walking on thin ice. Part of me did believe I deserved it. Besides, Misty said I accepted Mom's punishment maturely. Who knows? Maybe in a few days Mom will let me off for good behavior.

"By the way, Professor Oak called earlier and said Squirtle's okay," Mom reported, briefly rubbing my back. "I was about to come downstairs to tell you, but you beat me to the punch line."

I smiled brighter. "That's okay, Mom. When Misty came downstairs with Articuno, she also told me about Squirtle. I'm so glad for May."

"Mmm," nodded Mom. "That was nice of Misty. I hope you thanked her."

I did my best not to blush in Mom's arms. "I did." Oh sure, I "thanked" Misty all right! I thanked her right on her cheek! But I wasn't sure how Mom would react to us kissing. Sure, Mom knows Misty and I were semi-boyfriend/girlfriend, but I didn't know if Mom was aware that our "semi" days were quickly coming to an end. Mothers tend to act weird when their "one and only baby boy" gets a real girlfriend. Since tonight had been full of more than enough surprises, I figured I'd tell the details to Mom later.

"Oh! And that reminds me," Mom perked, regaining my attention. "How did Misty like your present?"

Just like during the Petalburg party, a grown-up asked me about Misty's gift. Last year, I didn't have an answer because I got Misty's gift at the last minute. But this year, Misty's present was no problem for me. Except, Pallet-Palooza's hoopla made me totally forget to give Misty her gift.

Eyes widening, I exclaimed. "I forgot to give it to her!" And for reminding me, I gave Mom another affectionate squeeze before heading off again. Misty's gifts had been stored in the guest room across my bedroom, to keep them hidden in the event Misty wandered into my room before gift-opening. Not that Misty is the type of person to look for presents. If she were, we'd have to hide the gifts in the attic, Mom's closet, cellar – places Mom usually hid my Christmas gifts. Er…not that I ever went present-snooping, of course, heheh. Anyway, I didn't intend to give Misty my gift before Brock and the others', but I couldn't wait any longer. Besides, I'm Misty's semi…no, I'm her _boyfriend_, so don't I get first dibs? Yup! Thought so.

But before I left Mom's room, I peered over my shoulder when I heard her chuckle. "What, Mom?"

Still smiling, Mom just shook her head. "Nothing. Mommy's baby is growing up, that's all."

Aaargh! There she went again with her "mommy" and "baby" stuff! But before I could whine, I couldn't help but wonder why Mom said that in the first place. Like typical mothers, Mom wore that all-knowing maternal smile on her face. Call me crazy, but it seemed to me like Mom might've already known something. But that's silly. There's no way Mom could've sensed that Misty and I were getting closer…right? Or, do all females possess this special power? Maybe I'll never know.

Either way, once my blush caught up to me, I squealed in embarrassment. "_Mooooom_!"

* * *

><p>A beautiful crescent moon glowed through the kitchen windows. I found Misty gazing out the backdoor's window, admiring the twinkling stars across Pallet Town's clear skies. Being a city girl, Misty probably doesn't often see landscapes like Pallet's rural charm. And for me, it wasn't often that I got so see as pretty a girl as Misty outlined by the moon's white glow. Sheesh, and here I thought I wasn't romantic. Who knew?<p>

Regaining focus, I carefully and quietly walked across the kitchen tiles, trying not to be noticed by my stargazing girlfriend. I knew better than to sneak up behind Misty and yell, "Boo!" She'd wring my neck. I didn't want to scare her, so I made just enough noise once I was close enough to her back. In the window's reflection, I noticed her perk and smile, knowing I was near. Perfectly timed, just when Misty turned around to face me, I raised my hands to present her gift.

Not expecting that, Misty blinked, taking one step back to better inspect the small box wrapped in blue paper and a purple bow. She teasingly grinned at my sloppy expertise of gift-wrapping. The bow was lopsided, but I figured the present's _insides_ were more important than the outsides. Sparing me the "your wrapping leaves an awful lot to be desired, Ash," lecture, Misty accepted the box.

Of course, I still should've expected _some_ sorta' jeer. "This isn't gonna' explode or something, is it?" Misty joked, ignoring my stuck-out tongue while she untied the bow and began tearing the paper. By the time my tongue was back in my mouth, I felt my excitement peak once Misty opened the box' top. After her hand fished through white tissue paper, I could tell she found the present once her eyes widened.

"Ash…" trailed Misty, while my face illuminated like the moon. She was speechless, which I expected. Who wouldn't be speechless when they received the perfect birthday present? See? I told you that I planned ahead and got the best possible gift for Mist–

"_Ash Ketchum_! If you got me a creepy, nasty, dirt-eating Bug Pokemon for my birthday, mark my words, then _you'll_ be the one eating dirt!"

…Er, okay, that wasn't quite the reaction I expected from Misty. Before I knew it, Misty's Gyarados-face drove me to shrink in fear. Gyaah! What did I do wrong this time? I got Misty the perfect present, right? Why was she screaming over a Net Ball–?

Oh. Right. Realizing the mistake, I straightened myself up, placing my hands on Misty's shoulders to calm her down. "Easy, Myst," I replied, unable to stop smirking when I realized the poetic irony of the present I got Misty: a teal and black Net Ball. It was a specialty Pokeball, designed to be super effective at catching Pokemon ordinarily captured in nets, such as fish…and bugs. I forgot about that small detail. "Do you _really_ think I'd give you a Bug Pokemon?" I may be dense, but I'm not suicidal!

Misty knew the truth, of course. Quickly calming down, her face then sported a smile when she realized the truth. Net Balls were designed to catch Bug and Water Pokemon. If I gave Misty a Net Ball that didn't have a Bug Pokemon, then that meant one thing. "You…you got me a Water Pokemon, Ash?"

Dumb questions rarely came from Misty's mouth. However, instead of teasing her, I smiled brightly and nodded for the very happy birthday girl. "Of course I did! Who knows you better than me?"

She lightly wacked my shoulder to keep my ego in check. After setting aside the emptied gift box, Misty admired the polished Net Ball, wondering what Pokemon I got her. I half-expected her to immediately release the Pokemon, but Misty was smarter than that. No matter how overjoyed she was, Misty was a Water Pokemon trainer, aware that many Water Pokemon were bad on land. I didn't have a pool in my kitchen, so Misty obviously wanted to know the identity of the Pokemon before she released it.

"Well? What is it?" Misty wanted to know, hopping up and down like a rabbit.

Laughing at how jumpy and cute Misty looked, I played along, casually folding my hands behind my head. "Oh, it's nothing special, Myst," I teased, grinning and winking boyishly for her benefit. "Just a Tentacruel."

"NO WAY!" I dunno how Misty managed not to alert Mom, Brock, and everybody else in the house. Slapping a hand over her mouth, Misty lowered the volume of her voice, though she was unable to stop bouncing and gushing like a schoolgirl. I had never, ever seen Misty look so thrilled! "Oh my God, Ash! Seriously? You got me a Tentacruel?"

Boy. How would Misty react if I got her a diamond ring? (Uh, not that I'm anywhere near ready for that step, of course). My ears were almost ringing again, and I tried to keep her voice down, but I didn't want to spoil Misty's happiness, either. She deserved this, which was why I threw caution to the wind and told her the 'other' piece of good news.

"Yup! And wait till' I tell you this!" I added, pointing at the Net Ball. "Marina's been breeding all sorts of Tentacruel, and this one's got a unique teal-coloring to it!" To be fair, I owed a lot of credit to Marina for making Misty's dream a reality. "I caught Tentacool, and then gave it to Marina to specially evolve." Don't ask me 'what' exactly Marina did during Tentacool's evolution, but she must know what she's doing. After she returned teal Tentacruel to me, I trained with it a little, and damn, that's one impressive Water Type! "Trust me, you've gotta' great Pokemon here." Specialty breeding doesn't come cheap, but I had a whole year to save-up. It was soo worth seeing Misty's smile!

It was soo worth getting hugged by Misty, too. Well, actually, she kinda' _tackle_-hugged me, almost sending me backwards. Then began Misty's rambling chorus of, "!" while she squeezed me ten times tighter than Mom's bear hugs. I coughed a puff of air before my arms returned Misty's embrace. Just like last year's birthday party, Misty couldn't have been happier to receive my gift. Just like last year, Misty hugged me. Just like last year, Misty thanked me with another kiss.

However, _un_like last year, Misty didn't kiss me on the _cheek_.

I instantly felt my cheeks burn and my eyes bug when moist, soft lips touch mine. Yeah, Misty kissed me before, but she never kissed me – gulp – _on the lips_. Not long ago, I used to gag at the thought of real kissing. Really, the idea of people's mouths touching mouths is…is that even sanitary? And isn't there some type of kissing involving _tongues_? Yuck! No wonder diseases get spread so easily!

But…you wanna' know something? As gross as lip-to-lip kissing sounded, Misty's kiss wasn't all that bad. In fact, it was kinda' nice. There's definitely a difference between a peck on the cheek and a kiss on the lips. True, I had zero interest in the gut-churning tongue thing, but Misty didn't bother with that, either. Thank God. Kissing took a little getting used to, but once I eased up, I actually felt my lips shyly return the gesture. Between you and me, I didn't really know what I was doing, but the kiss didn't last long enough for me to flub it up.

After parting, my moonlit girlfriend smiled gorgeously. "You _are _the sweetest person, Ash Ketchum."

Then Misty hugged me, resting her head on my shoulder while I combed my angel's fiery hair. I was still in shock over the kiss, along with the realization that I somehow survived another disastrous birthday party. But all along, I wanted to make Misty happy, and I think – I _know_ – I succeeded.

Resting my head against hers, I whispered into her ear, "Happy birthday, Misty."

**The End**

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Squee. And that's all, folks! Thank you very much for following "It's Her Party 2." Back when I wrote the original "It's Her Party, and She'll Cry If I Mess It Up," I didn't know if I'd write a continuation (I don't normally write sequels, either). But lo and behold, I just couldn't stay away from IHP's juicy Ash-torture and shenanigans.

And of course, it was a pleasure for me to read everyone's thoughtful comments to know my story/writing was on the right track. Your support means a lot to me, so again, thanks! I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I did writing it. ^_^

**_- Aiselne Phoenix Nocturnus_**


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